new beginnings
by uptonmama
Summary: High school is over, the wedding approaches, Bella is still torn. Will she marry Edward? Will she have her 'human experience? Will Edward successfully change her? If so what type of a vampire will she be? Come find out with me. AU now that BD is out.
1. Wedding Bells

**_The characters in this story as well as the basis idea of this story belong to Stephanie Meyer._**

The sun was setting behind me as I drove furtively away from Forks heading toward La Push. I knew I only had a couple of minutes before Edward would catch up to me. For the first time I was thankful for the ostentatious tank of a luxury car he had given me shortly after our engagement. As the speedometer raced above the 100 mph mark I was thankful for the two tons of armored plating on this vehicle, as I may very well be wrapping it around the next tree if I was not careful. I had to reach the boundary line. A silver glint in the rear view mirror caught my eye. Why was he stopped, why was he not coming after me? Oh I must have crossed the invisible line, I was here, he could not stop me now. A twinge of guilt raced through my body as I realized what he must be thinking.

I stopped at the little shack of a house behind the only store in town. There were no lights on and it was impossible to tell if anyone was home. Taking a deep breath I looked out the window hoping against hope she would not be there. I had to speak with Seth but I knew if Leah was home I would be in danger. Opening the door I approached the house slowly, watching my footing carefully. Today would not be a good day to break my ankle on the slippery pebbles under my feet. A dark face appeared behind the curtains, my breath caught. It could not be, there was no way it was possible. How could HE be here. Why did no one tell me. Is this why Seth would not answer the phone when I called the last five times.

The door opened a crack, but not enough for me to see inside. "Go away Bella. You can not be here now." Seth whispered through the cracks.

"You have to let me in! When did Jacob come back? I have to see him! I have to make him understand. How can I get married tomorrow without knowing if he is okay!"

"I'm sorry Bella but Sam told me you can not be here anymore. We are not allowed to inform you of anything concerning the pack. Sam knows your plans." Seth whispered but I could tell from his voice he was both angered and saddened to tell me this. If sam had issued an order there was no hope of me convincing him. It was beyond his ability to go against Sam's authority.

Returning to the car was one of the hardest things I had ever done . I knew Jacob was in that little house. I knew only he could offer the absolution I so desperately needed before I could marry Edward. My heart was torn in two, knowing I can not live with out Edward but also knowing I could no longer live with the knowledge that I was guilty for the irreparable suffering Jacob was going through.

Had Jacob come through that door could he really forgive me? Would I be willing to accept that forgiveness that I did not deserve? I truly was a monster. Taking what I could not have, not thankful for the wonderful gift I had been given. But his charm burned at my wrist, a permanent reminder of my beastly behavior.

Before I realized where I was my car pulled up next to the silver Volvo I had been running from just minutes ago. How could I explain this? I had promised myself I would never again make Edward see my pain over Jacob, and here I was again mourning for the past and grabbing my future at the same time. One look at his liquid gold eyes the pain clearly visible, and I was balling.

"Oh Edward, I am so stupid. Why do I do this. I hurt everyone I love. I'm sorry I came." I cried wrapping my arms around him and burying my head in his chest as his arms came protectively around my body. Once again I had hurt him and he was comforting me. I was evil.

"Bella my love, why did you come? You know you are no longer welcome here. You are not safe here anymore. Why did you come?" He asked as relief flooded his eyes.

"Seth quit taking my calls, I had to know Edward. I had to know if Jacob was safe." I moaned

"He's here Edward, he is here and he would not even let me speak to Seth. Sam has forbidden it" I said louder than I meant to, a note of hysteria ringing in my voice.

"Come on Bella lets get you back home. Charlie is waiting for you." Edward whispered tucking me back into the drivers seat of my car. "I will follow you."

Pulling onto my street a sigh escaped my lips. "Home." Tonight would be the last night I could call this quaint little house I shared with Charlie home. It was a bittersweet moment. I smiled as a cryptic thought trailed through my mind. My past standing before me, my future waiting behind me. A little backward but so was everything these days.

Charlie grabbed me in a tight bear hug when I walked through the door. Tears streaked down his face. "My baby girl, my sweet daughter."

Flabbergasted I wrapped my arms around him and cried like a two year old lost in a supermarket. I had never seen emotion this strong in him. Neither of us were very outwardly emotional. Expressing love was not something that came easily to us. His heart was clearly visible tonight. Wrapped tightly in my fathers arms we walked into the living room. Not another word was spoken the rest of the night as we sat holding each other on the couch. I awoke hours later to a cold caress on my cheek.

"Bella, my love it is after three in the morning. You must come to bed." Edward whispered.

"But Charlie..."

"I'll carry him. The way he is snoring, he will not wake up" Edward leaned over and placed a gentle but electric kiss just below my jaw. Sweeping up Charlie in his arms as if he weighed no more than small child. Following Edward up the stairs an aura of peace filled my soul, this was the angel I was marrying tomorrow. My life was perfect, my dream coming true so why was I clinging to a past I could not change.

Sleep overtook me quickly once I was in my own bed with Edward's cool arms wrapped around me. I could hear Edward humming my lullaby quietly, and feel his breath on my neck, his wonderful cool lips on my skin. "Sweet dreams my beautiful Isabella".

I awoke to an unusual amount of light coming through my bedroom window, the light yellow curtains blowing in a slight breeze. I could smell a faint hint of rose in the air. Funny, there were no rose bushes in Charlie's yard. I lay in bed dreaming of the day ahead of me. As nervous as I was about my wedding. Much as I dreaded the walk down the aisle, sure that I would trip on my veil and take out a row of guests in the process, I could not wait to see Edward. Today was his dream. He had wanted to marry me before changing me. "I have always been that boy..." he had told me. His old fashioned ideas of marriage still linking him to his life in 1918. His mother would be happy to see her son today if she were alive.

"Ahem, um Bella. Are you going to wake up, or am I going to have to carry you to the house myself?" A cheerful tinkling voice asked. Oh Alice, thats right I was supposed to meet her earlier this morning for the dreaded wedding day make over.

"I'm up, I'm up" I groaned. "Please take it easy on me today."

Alice's tinkling laugh filled the room. "Sorry Bella, I am afraid I have no idea what you mean. Let's go!" Before I could even cringe she grabbed me up in her arms and jumped out my second story bedroom window. Landing as gently as if she had simply stepped down a stair. We were off, the wind blowing through my hair felt wonderful. I was fully awake and catching her excitement in seconds. As I smiled up at her, my soon to be sister, a bright sparkling light blinded me. OH NO, the sun was shining brighter than I had seen in the two years I had lived here in cloud capital, Forks WA. What would we do? None of the Cullens could come out in public on sunny days, and our wedding was supposed to be held in the field surrounding the Cullen house.

As we approached the field I could see the house. Roses were everywhere. Thousands of them. Hanging from the trees surrounding the meadow, planters of them everywhere. Garlands of roses wrapped around the columns of the porch and surrounded the door and windows. The light looked strange, somehow dimmer, walking through the front door. Looking around I could see the difference. Solar filters were on every window in the house, including the large window that covered the entire back side of the house. Chairs were lined across the wide open main room of the first floor. More roses were draped over the back of every row of chairs. Spiral vases of deep violet held two dozen white roses at the beginning and end of every row. White rose petals were sprinkled freely down the aisle. I was overtaken when my eyes followed the aisle to where our vows would be recited. A stage fit for a fairy tale princess was waiting. Gazing at the splendid beauty I realized this was the dream from childhood I had longed for secretly. Never letting my mother know how I always dreamed a prince would come sweep me away to never never land where we would live happily ever after. Today I would marry my prince with my mother in the front row.

Mom had cried when I told her I was marrying Edward. To my surprise they were tears of joy not anger or disappointment. She was only worried about Phil's cast being off in time for tux fittings.

Alice's face lit with excitement as she saw my jaw drop and the dreamy look come into my eyes. "Come on kid, lets make you the princess for this party." I let her lead me up the stairs to her room running like excited little girls. The vanity in her room was covered with beauty products. "Now, no complaints this is my day too! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for letting me play!" Alice beamed as she bounced up and down.

Lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, shimmering powder, and eye shadow were all expertly applied. Next was my hair. I had never seen Alice so happy. In less time than I could have imagined she spun me around to face the mirror. "So what do you think?"

The image in the mirror was one I had never seen before. Surely this was not me. "Oh, Alice!" I jumped up hugging her as tightly as I could tears stinging behind my eyes. "I look beautiful! Thank you!"

"You are welcome Bella! I have always wanted to do this for you. This is one vision I hoped would come true from the day I met you." Alice had almost omniscient visions, only flawed when the subjects of those visions changed their minds. "Now, Renee is biting her nails waiting to see you."

The door opened and my mother, looking more beautiful than I had ever seen, walked in. "Bella you are dazzling! Alice you are a godsend she looks beautiful" Alice and I both received tearful embraces. "The guests are all here. We have about ten minutes. Where are your dresses?"

"Right here" Alice swung open her closet door, which was larger than my room at Charlie's house. Both dresses were hung from hooks in the ceiling so they would not get crushed. My dress was vintage 1918 with 'touches of Alice'. It was beautiful cream satin with hand made vintage lace at the neck, sleeves and train. Seed peals were hand sewn around the edges of the lace, if I knew anything about Alice they were not fresh water pearls, they were natural. Alice's dress was a dark lavender almost plum color, very sleek and sexy yet classy with timeless lines. I could imagine how she looked in it.

Within minutes we were in our gowns and joined by Esme in the hallway waiting to walk us down stairs. The spiral stair case led to the back of the seating area. It seemed everyone in town had shown up. Jessica and Angela were waving from the middle of the center section, Eric, Ben, and Tyler were beside them. Mike's absence was not really a surprise. He had been rather upset when he heard the news of my and Edward's engagement.

The music began. I started down the stairs and every person there turned to face me as I descended. From behind me I heard Alice whisper, "Don't worry you won't fall, I checked." That made me feel much better. I had been so worried I would break my neck before I could say I do, and die before Edward could make me immortal. Looking up I saw Edward waiting for me. My breath froze in my chest, my heart failing to beat. He was so beautiful, everything I could ever want. My eternity waiting there for me love radiating from his eyes, his hands held out palms up close to his body reaching out for me. I could not get down the aisle quickly enough.

Charlie took my arm, leaned down and kissed me lightly on each eyelid. "You are the most amazing bride I have ever seen." We proceeded down the aisle toward the love of my life. My father's arm in mine felt so right. How could I have been worried about this moment for so long. All my fears seemed so silly now. One more kiss on the cheek from Charlie and he placed my hands in Edward's.

"Dearly Beloved we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of..." Those were the only words I heard before I was lost. Lost in the wonderful, intoxicating, warmth of Edward's eyes. This was our moment intruded upon by no one. "Edward do you take Bella to be your wife, to love and cherish for all of eternity?" I smiled at the wording change in the vows. Our marriage would truly be for all eternity no death to do us part. "I do."

"Do you Isabella take Edward to be your husband, to love and cherish for all of eternity?" Ecstasy overwhelmed me, "I do".

Edward was just as taken as I. "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Time froze as our lips met. His hard cold lips moving against mine. His arm wrapped around my waist pulling me tight against his rock hard body, his other hand knotting in my hair pressing my face closer. Chills ran up and down my spine, as volts of electricity exploding everywhere Edward's skin touched mine. My breathing quit, my heart raced to the point of failure, my world was spinning. "Breathe Bella" Edward smiled down at me. My lungs forgot how for a moment. As I drew in a deep breath I could hear the applause of our guests. The music played. Charlie and Renee walked back down the aisle away from the alter followed by Carslile and Esme. Alice, gorgeous in her brides maid gown, danced down the aisle lightly behind them. Edward and I followed holding hands not even seeing the crowds on either side of us, lost in each others eyes.

A glimpse out the windows showed a cloud darkened, but beautiful sky. Our guests filed out the double entry doors to the reception tent waiting outside. A single white rose was handed to every guest. Esme glided over to stand beside Edward and I by the doors receiving best wishes from those who knew me or Charlie. Many hugged me, few shook Edward's hand. Even with the pride, love, and joy shining unabashed, many shied away from him. Mr Newton, owner of the local sporting goods store and Mike's dad, shook Edward's hand. "Hey kid I've heard of cold feet on your wedding day but your hands are ice. I wish you guys the best. Take care of our Bella and come back to visit soon. Don't forget our little town when you are done with your ivy league college."

"It's time to throw the bouquet Bella." Esme whispered her lips brushing my ear. Suddenly I was being held in a tight embrace. "I have been waiting for this day for eighty years Bella, you will never know how much joy it gives me to be able to call you my daughter. To see Edward like this is the best gift I have ever been given." Tears tried to escape once again as we parted and I met her beautiful ocher eyes.

A crowd of young and older women formed a semi-circle waiting to catch my bouquet. Alice and Rosalie off to the left side. Angela and Jessica directly in the center. I turned my back, closed my eyes, and threw my hands above my head releasing the flowers into thin air. The sound of giggles and excited screams met my ears. Turning around I saw Angela red faced looking down at the bouquet of white roses, a faint smile pulling at her lips. Happiness filled me when I thought about her and Ben going off to University of Seattle next month.

Toasts were made, the thirteen piece orchestra began a slow waltz. Edward pulled me to my feet and led me to the dance floor. For once I did not even argue. We floated around the dance floor, my feet on his. Our bodies as close as possible. Slight dizziness overtook me. I was not sure whether it came from all the twirling or my increased heart rate, but I loved the feeling. We slowed as the music came to an end. "We've made our appearance here. I would like you all to myself now." Edward whispered as his lips trailed from my ear down my jaw and stopped at my lips. The world melted away, all I could feel was the coolness of his body against mine. Electricity ran wild starting where our lips met, ending at the tips of my fingers as they knotted in his gorgeous untidy hair. My feet swept out from under me as he carried me out of the reception tent into our house. Our house, what wonderful words. "So my beloved wife where shall we go from here? We have a few hours before our flight."

I could not even answer. Mischievous flames danced in his eyes and we flew up the spiral staircase. Laughter ripped from his chest barely disguising a deep longing growl. The door to our room opened and closed seemingly of its own accord. Edward lie me down on the large poster bed surrounded by rose petals and lit candles. "I told you I would keep my promise." It was a low growl in my ear. Cold lips wrapped around my earlobe and trailed down my neck to my collar bone. Closing my eyes I lost myself to the ecstasy flowing through my body. My hands raced to his chest, undoing the buttons of his tux jacket and shirt deftly, moans of pleasure pushed through my lips as I kissed his neck, his collar bone, his hard sculpted chest, my nails glided over his marble skin. A shudder ran through his body and he pushed away before I could grab him to hold him near. His hands reached down to me, pulling me to him, hunger and rage in his eyes. The pearls buttoning up the back of my wedding gown flew across the room and rained against the far wall like bullets as he ripped the dress away. His stare intense as he drank in the vision of my body. I had no doubt at that moment he found me as beautiful as I found him.

"Bella" he moaned his eyes turning pained. Grabbing me gently by my upper arms he led me to the couch, sitting me on his lap and holding me tightly. Cold hands caressed my back sending goose bumps over my entire body. Lust burning so badly I wanted to attack him but he held me too firmly for me to move. Laying me down beside him he trailed his fingers over the contours of my body so tenderly it was painful. "You have no idea how hard this is for me Bella. You are so beautiful and so fragile. You are my life. I fear I will harm you." His lips trailed his finger bringing me to the edge of insanity with pleasure. I felt darkness close around me.

"Bella, Bella breathe Bella breathe!" A hazy light came slowly into view. Edward was standing over me with his shirt off wiping my face with an ice cold wash cloth. A look of concern and fear etched deeply in his face. I smiled up at him.

"What's wrong. Don't stop please." I begged longing to have him touch me again. I never wanted this feeling of euphoria to end.

"Bella!" A deep breath of relief escaped from his lungs, "Dammit you have to remember to breath! You fainted. How can I make love to you if you quit breathing and your heart freezes when all I do is kiss you."

Anger flashed through my body. So furious I had never encountered anything like it before. He was backing out of his promise. Next he would be telling me it is too dangerous to go further, I am to delicate. No I would not let him do that! He could not deny me this!

I was in his arms again as he carried me to the bed and tucked me under the blankets. Edward climbed up beside me and held me through the blanket curled around my frame, and started humming my lullaby. As my eyes closed against my will I promised myself this was not over. He would keep his promise. I will have this one human experience fulfilled.

A gentle knock on the door awoke me. Edward, looking down at me like an angel from above, smiled. "Good morning sleeping beauty, did you enjoy your dream?" After a kiss just below my jaw and a deep breath of my fragrance he sprung off the bed to answer the door.

"Hey lovebirds, you're going to miss your flight. Here's an outfit for Bella." Alice danced away from the door clapping in excitement as she went.

Edward turned toward me holding the outfit for me to see. Alice had chosen me a very stylish night sky blue skirt with a woven shirt of numerous colors in an intoxicating design. "She thought these colors were perfect for you. You have made us all very happy today Bells." I went to his open embrace and buried my face against his chest breathing deeply memorizing his scent, again. His hands ran down my back and rested on my waist holding me to him for just a moment then pushing me away to look into my eyes. "I will keep my promise Bella I will try." He bent to kiss me gently then helped get me into my new outfit for our flight. I sat on the bed and watched him change into his travel clothes and dreamed of our future, my past forgotten.


	2. Far and Away

**This story is based off of the fabulous Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer **and only very minor characters have been added (there have to be some boring human people of course or there would be no background. LOL)

Far and Away

As I approached the head of the stairs I felt Edward's wonderfully cold breath on the back of my neck causing delicious shivers to spread down my spine. "How am I going to keep my hands off of you for the next five hours. What was Alice thinking when she bought you that outfit, I am beginning to think she enjoys torturing me." He whispered in my ear. A fabulous reply to his statement was about to roll off my tongue when suddenly his lips were covering mine again. His hard cold lips pressed eagerly against mine moving passionately. I forgot to breathe as his tongue ran lightly across my lips and then down my neck to my collarbone. How could he still do this to me, I hope I never get used to the electric surge his kisses carry. Just as dizziness started making the world spin and blackness was about to surround me he lifted me into his arms pressing my body close to his and looked down into my eyes with a smirk. "Hmm. I don't know Bella maybe we should cancel this trip."

"What!!" I cried out in exasperation.

"Well, it seems I can not take you anywhere without you passing out." He laughed as he kissed me again softer this time but with just as much passion as before.

I playfully reached up and smacked his face. "OUCH" I yelped as my red hand stung sharply, reminding me never to slap a stone. Shock and humor competed for dominant place in his expression.

"Feisty today aren't you. How am I going to wait five hours? Don't you know it is wicked to tease me like that?"

Edward released me at the bottom of the stairs, but never removed his hand from the small of my back. Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were waiting for us at the door. "Have fun Bella, don't make it too hard for him" Alice winked as she hugged me tightly then bounced up and kissed me on the cheek. "Oh, I almost forgot" she flew up the stairs and returned faster than I could believe with another suitcase. "You are going to enjoy these." I shot Alice an incredulous look, curiosity battled with nervousness about what was in the bag. "Really, you will thank me" That really did not make me feel anymore sure of what was in the bag. Alice was known for going way overboard, especially when it came to things for me.

Esme hugged me tightly and kissed my forehead motherly. "Have fun dear."

Rosalie even hugged me. "Give him hell Bella." she laughed and winked at Emmett.

Carslile and Edward were sharing a private thought. Edward nodded his head slightly as a knowing smile passed over his lips briefly. "I will call you when we are there. Don't worry." Emmett punched Edward in the shoulder and made a small jerking motion with his head towards me laughing as he turned to give me a quick hug. He and Rosalie dashed up the stairs before Edward could even respond, his face a mask of embarrassment. Jasper just stood by Edward's side smiling. "See you guys in a couple of weeks then."

Carslile's Mercedes was waiting for us just outside the front door with an enormous array of brand new sneakers and high heels tied to the back. The rear window and side windows were decorated in white chalk declaring "Just Married", "Congratulations", and "You dog!" I could tell which window Jasper and Emmett had been in charge of. Edward shook with his beautiful bell toned laughter as he easily tore off the shoes from the back of the car and read the windows. "We'll just drop these shoes off for someone to use on our way to the airport. Alice really did a little to much this time." he chuckled as he tossed the mess of shoes into the trunk of the car along with the last minute bag Alice had given me. He then opened my door and kissed me gently as he helped me into the passenger seat and flew around to his side.

"So are you going to share?" I asked trying to hide exactly how badly I wanted to know what the others had really been thinking when we left, and what Emmett and Carslile had told him silently with their thoughts.

"Oh I don't think so" he laughed loudly, "I don't think your innocent ears could handle it."

"It couldn't have been that bad! Tell me." I could see he was not going to tell me what they had said by the roll of his eyes. I wondered how far begging could really take me. "Please" I purred looking up under my eyelashes.

"Now that is not fighting fair" Edward sighed and looked out the window looking stressed. "I really do not want to tell you Bella, it was not nice." I understood, but I was still being eaten by my curiosity. Sighing I also turned to look out the window.

The two hour drive to the airport in Seattle only took 45 minutes with Edward behind the wheel. I could hardly keep my hands to myself. A c.d. of Edward's compositions floated quietly through the car. The music's beauty intensified the emotion flooding my soul.

Finding a parking place at the airport was a bit tricky; however, Edward's keen hearing and sight helped us find a place fairly close to the entry doors on the lowest level. As Edward pulled the bags out of the trunk with ease a group of girls slightly younger than I stared appreciatively at him. A burst of embarrassed giggling erupted when Edward realized he was the center of attention. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me passionately. A deep warmth spread from my lips to the soles of my feet as I melted into his body and tried with all my strength to keep him from ever pulling away. As my hands knotted into his hair he moved his cooly electric lips from mine down to my neck inhaling deeply. My legs had turned to jello and could no longer be felt when his lips ran across my collar bone and back up my neck to the pulse point just below my ear. Moans of pure pleasure escaped me when he finally pulled himself away. "Bella, you are delicious. Let's get to our plane so we can start our honeymoon" he whispered just loud enough for our audience to hear. Love radiated from his eyes as he leaned down to place one last sweet kiss on my forehead, as he grabbed my hand the group of young girls still stood staring in awe as we walked away. Both Edward and I tried hard to hide our laughter.

"And their innocent ears are mature enough to hear that?" I whispered with as much sarcasm as I could as we entered the lobby.

"Oh honey if you could hear their thoughts you would not be calling them inocent!" Edward laughed leaning down to kiss me again.

The lines at the check in counter for Delta airlines were hideously long, which normally would have made me nervous. Standing among that many potential witnesses for a prolonged period of time is never easy for anyone as prone to accidents as I. Today though it made no difference. I was with my husband, my own personal arch-angel who would stand by my side for the remainder of eternity. Edward smiled down at me, "You do not like these lines do you? Stay right here for just a moment."

"No really Edward it is fine. As long as you are with me I don't care if we are waiting in line." Just then the gaggle of girls who had been drooling over Edward in the parking lot came through the doors. They stared at us again as if we might start making out right here in the middle of the airport. "Look, your fan club is here" I teased.

"I will be back in just a minute." Before I could argue he was gone. I looked around wondering where he had gone. The girls who had been so intently staring at us wandered on their way since Edward was no longer in sight. I still could not see where he had gone and was beginning to become concerned.

My nervousness was returning with force as I stood there alone, convinced that if I were to move I would sprawl on the floor in the middle of this crowd. Just then I heard flirtatious laughter coming from one of the desk clerks. "So that is where he went" I sighed to myself. The woman at the counter was leaning over, her face just inches from Edward's. I could not hear their conversation but I was sure it must be similar to the conversations he had used on the secretary at Forks High School whenever he wanted his schedule changed or wanted excused from a class. I had no doubt that he would get whatever he wanted out of the clerk. Within moments he was back at my side, a cheshire cat smile shining down at me.

"Follow me Bella, we are ditching the lines." he proudly declared. A small 'humph' from an elderly gentleman behind us disturbed me just a bit, but I was happy to be escaping the crowds.

"You know, you are the only person in this airport getting a break today right? That poor woman never stood a chance against your desires did she?" I teased him as he led me by the hand around the crowd to a door half way down the terminal labeled Private lounge.

"A flight attendant will come get us when it is time to board. Until then we have this room all to ourselves. No fan clubs aloud." Edward reassured me as he sat me on his lap and wrapped his arms around me.

"Oh, I like that." I laughed and leaned over to kiss him. Time froze and the airport disappeared as our bodies melted together. His lips covered mine as his hands ran from my waist up my spine and back down to the small of my back. I bit his lip in surprise when his cold hand slipped inside the back of my shirt and pulled me even closer to him. I could not hold back with his hand shooting currents of electricity through my body. A low groan escaped his lips as he moved his lips from mine to my neck.

"Excuse me sir, your plane is ready for boarding." the flight attendant quietly informed us. Her experience hid any discomfort she may have had from finding us in such a passionate embrace. It did not however diminish my embarrassment and I felt my face heat with an uncontrollable blush.

"Thank you." Edward simply replied, kissing me one more time before standing me up and taking my hand. I followed him out of the room and down the terminal toward our gate. The flight attendant escorted us through security without even a glance at the guards, and down the gangplank.

Entering the plane we were met by the pilot and co-pilot. "Good Evening Mr Cullen, I hope you will enjoy your flight tonight. We should be landing in about three hours. We are expecting a smooth flight. Susan" inclining his head to the attendant who had escorted us, " will be happy to help you in any way necessary all you need to do is press the service button."

"Thank you." Edward once again simply replied. I had thought of Edward as a greek god before but never as royalty which they seemed to be treating us as.

"I will take you to your cabin now." Susan said respectfully. We followed her up a flight of stairs. I was astounded, I never knew airplanes could have stairs. Where exactly was she taking us . I looked over to Edward and saw him smiling smugly. Of course this treatment was no surprise to him, as I was sure my dumbfounded reaction was no surprise either.

Susan led us to a fairly small room that looked like it belonged in a big New York law office rather than an airplane. "If you would like to hear the general passenger announcements you can simply press this button to turn on the intercom. If you would, please wear your seat-belts during take off and landing. Let me know if you need anything please." With that she left us in the cabin alone.

I turned on Edward with surprise and a touch of accusation in my eyes. "What is all this about?"

Edward smiled and leaned down to kiss my cheek. "I told you I could not keep my hands off of you for the next five hours. This though was Carslile's idea. You wanted to know what 'secret' thought we were sharing. He knew we would want privacy, I guess you could call these next few hours a gift from Carslile and Esme. I had to speak to the clerk at the front desk when we first got to the airport since I did not know about the changes in our plans sooner, or we could have gone straight to the private lounge instead of waiting in line."

"Changes in plans? You mean we are not going where you had planned?" I asked a little concerned. It seemed Carslile had gone just as overboard with our travel plans as Alice had with our wedding plans. I was beginning to wonder how much had already been decided for Edward and I.

A slight look of worry crossed Edward's brow. "I know you do not like big gifts Bella, but I could not stop them. They had their hearts set on this."

"Where are we going Edward" stress was starting to show in my voice.

"A small island in the pacific. Esme knew how much you love warm sunny weather and wanted you to enjoy our honeymoon as much as possible." Edward looked at me through his eyelashes. I knew he did not want me to be upset, but I just couldn't not say anything.

"How are we going to go anywhere?" a touch of panic in my voice, "You can not go out in the sun, how can I enjoy the sun if you can not be there with me. I don't understand why they did this."

"Don't worry Bella, you will see. I guess you could call it another wedding present." His eyes smoldered as he sat me on the seat beside him. "It is time to buckle up. The pilot is about to pull away." The flight went quicker than I could have imagined wrapped in Edward's arms. This is what I have all of eternity to look forward to. Well once I finish being human that is. My mind wandered to what I had planned for tonight, there was no way I was giving him any excuse for not following through with his promise.

"What are you thinking about Bella?" Edward wondered.

"Just trying to figure out where we could be going that is okay for you to be out in the sun, and imagining what we will do there." I answered winking at him. He uttered a small moan of pleasure as I trailed my lips down his chin and around his neck and closed my lips around his earlobe.

The pilot's voice came quietly over the intercom system of our cabin alerting us of our upcoming landing. I could see the excitement light in Edward's eyes. "You are going to like this Bella."

Getting out of the airplane a wave of tropical air brushed across my face bringing with it the scent of various flowers. I could barely contain the excitement caused simply by the heat of the night air on my face. Joy flowed from every pore of my body. Edward standing beside me, radiated his happiness at my pleasure. "We aren't even there yet."

"Oh." I had no clue what he meant by that, I assumed he simply meant we were not at the hotel yet. My eyes widened when I realized he was leading me towards a small four passenger propeller plane. There was no pilot in the plane. "Where is the pilot?"

"Me, unless of course you have a pilots license" He laughed at the look of astonishment on my face.

 "Is there anything you can not do?" I will never quit being amazed by everything Edward is capable of, no that's not the right wording. I will never stop being amazed by everything Edward is exceptional at. His strong grip lifted me into the airplane with ease, and he followed me in. The harness in the airplane reminded me of the harness in Emmett's jeep. "Um, I think I need help with the seat-belts, there seem to be about four to many buckles."

Edward took his time helping to fasten my belts. His hands lingered at my collarbone, gently caressing down the length of my arms, taking my hands in his, and placing a gentle kiss on my ring finger. "I love you, do you know how beautiful you are tonight?" A blush rushed up my neck over my cheeks to warm my ears. A cold chill of delight ran down my spine as Edward's lips brushed my ear, and moved down my cheek to my lips. My fingers grabbed at his hair and willed him closer to me. As my breath started coming less frequently and my heart rate began to race, I heared Edward whisper, "Tonight is going to be the best night of my very long life. I feel so amazing now, and there is so much more to come. You are a delight. Now let's get this bird in the air."

The flight was very quick. It seemed like as soon as we hit the apex we began our decline. As the airplane lights swept the dirt landing strip my eyes beheld a beautiful tropical paradise, the likes of which I had only ever seen pictured in travel magazines. The lushness of the trees was unbelievable, flowers were in bloom on almost every plant. The mix of colors was awe inspiring. As Edward opened the door of the airplane the cabin filled with the perfume of paradise. "Welcome to your island my love!" Edward breathed in my ear as his lips caressed my jaw.

"MY ISLAND!" I just about passed out, he could not mean that literally. "What do you mean by 'my island'?" No human could have heard the question. I could barely produce enough breath to even be considered a slight whisper.

"I told you this was a wedding present. Carslile and Esme wanted us to have a place we could always get away from everything and everyone. Also there is no better place for a young vampire to avoid people than on a deserted island miles away from the nearest human." Edward told me excitedly. My face paled as the reality sunk in. "You can't argue about it Bella, it is already done there is no returning this gift." My incredulity must have been plain on my face the way he was defending this 'gift'. "The family will of course make good use of this house as well, just like our other places of permanent residence. We will always have a refuge if needed. Wait till you see the house, Esme and Alice worked very hard on it to make it special just for you. They want you to know how much they love you and welcome you to our family. Please, Bella let them show their love to you this way."

I finally caught the third sentence in his speech. "This is where I will be changed?" This was the best place I could have ever imagined. Much better than the eternal night of Alaska. My dream of laying on a sun lit beach with Edward could come true here on a daily basis. All my dreams could come true here. Tears slid down my face uncontrollably. "It is perfect Edward, how could I be angered by this."

Edward grabbed the three bags we had brought with us. "Climb on Bella, there are no roads here." As I wrapped my arms around his neck I pressed as tightly to his body as I could. Soon I would know him as intimately as anyone could know another, and then I would join him in eternity. The thought thrilled me, no fear accompanied my thoughts of change anymore. I had said my goodbyes, I knew my parents would be fine, and I was ready to move on to my new existence.

We flew through the forest for what seemed like two minutes, but the distance we travelled was immeasurable to me. As we slowed I could hear the musical sound of water falling over a cliff, flowers surrounded us on every side. A beautiful field surrounded the most amazing beach house I had ever seen. The house had two stories with large picture windows on both floors, a porch that wrapped around the entire house, and a rounded tile roof. It fit with the surroundings flawlessly and gloriously. Large palm trees, and other tropical trees I was not familiar with, soared above the house masking it from arial view. Edward was right this would make the perfect retreat in times of difficulty for my new family. As always more thought than mere humans were capable of went into this wonderful new home.

Edward swung me around into his arms and pressed me against his chest. His lips pressed firmly and passionately around mine. My response equalled his eagerness. My eyes closed as I focussed on the electricity flowing through my body with each erratic heart beat. An eternity of pleasure later I opened my eyes as I felt myself being lowered onto a soft surface. A smile spread across my face when I saw the bedroom. Sun yellow, white, and light blue decorated the room in drapes, throw pillows and upholstery of the love seat. A very thin veil of light yellow draped the four poster bed Edward and I lay on.

"I believe you may want to change into something more comfortable now." He winked as he handed me the black bag Alice had given me just as we were leaving the house in Forks. I know it had only been a few hours ago, however it felt light years away. This house seemed to create its own little universe around Edward and I, a universe in which all my fantasies were coming true.

"Thank you. I will be back before you can miss me." I took the bag and went into the palatial bathroom. Opening the bag I found several bikinis and smiled as I thought they would look just perfect on Alice, however unsure of what I would look like in them. Towards the center of the bag I found the perfect short white silk lacy night gown with matching robe. This was perfect. God bless Alice's shopping addiction.

Edward's eyes lit with fire as I walked from the bathroom. "You lied, I missed you." He leaped from the bed growling. I was in his arms flying across the room before I could blink. His mouth covering mine, his tongue flickering against my lips, his breathing heavy. My heart beat against my ribs trying to break free, my breath matching pace with Edward's. I was lost in ecstasy, my body taking over my mind. My hands exploring every area of Edward's exquisite body. Every feeling, every emotion, every second burning permanently into my memories. All sense of time and place was lost as the heat from my body blended into Edward's coolness. Fire and ice became one.

**Any reviews would be appreciated. If you do not like it feel free to let me know. If you do like it I would love to hear from you. Thank you for taking time to read my attempt to expand our favorite vampire love story while waiting not so patiently for August 2nd.**


	3. paradise

_**Once again I do not own the write to claim any of these characters or any part of the world in which they live, Stephenie Meyer is the rightful owner of all things Twilight.**_

_**This chapter has yet to be proofread by anyone other than myself, and I apologize for any mistakes found. I will correct them as they are pointed out to me. As always thank you for taking the time to read this, and I would love to hear what you think about it so far.**_

Paradise

I awoken to the warm tropical sun shining through the open window and sparkling off Edward's skin. The shattered prisms of light dancing around the room, reflecting again off the mirror just opposite our bed. An aura of peace fills my soul as I glance at the beautiful man laying beside me eyes closed. Since Edward can not sleep I know he must be enjoying the moment of peace as much as I am. The heat of the sun coming through the window blending with the icy cool from Edward's skin is invigorating. It reminds me of the unbelievable gift we shared last night. I look at my husband with a wicked grin as I leaned over and kiss him lightly. My kisses graze from his neck down his collarbone before he opens his eyes.

"Good morning to you too Bella. Did you sleep well?" He asks just before returning my kisses. Electricity swells and explodes in my body all over again. All thoughts flee my mind to be replaced only by the intense pleasure I feel from his cool lips gliding over my still bare skin. My body shakes with pleasure and expectation. Last night had been indescribably amazing, my body reacts in such a way to make sure Edward can have no doubts about where I am hoping this greeting will lead.

Edward's breath is coming quickly and shallowly as he pulls away and stops kissing me to look into my eyes. "If I live for all of eternity I will never forget last night, there is nothing of this world to compare."

A small laugh escapes as I look into his eyes seductively, "Except maybe this morning." My small hands push on his chest and he rolls over giving me the freedom to do as I please with him. The sunlight shining off his bare body causing a thrill of uncontrollable excitement to shudder through my entire being. I run my nails down the length of his torso enjoying the shiver running through him.

A weak "ahh" escapes Edward as I continue stroking his skin. I know I am torturing him in a splendid way. I feel amazed once again that my touch can have the same effect on him as his has on me. His eyes close in pleasure as his cold iron hands grip mine and he rolls over to pin me to the bed. "Now it is my turn" he whispers barely audible with a wickedly playful gleam in his beautiful liquid gold eyes. Now it is my turn to become incoherent with ecstasy, as Edward takes me to the brink of sanity and passes the point of control. I can not hold myself back anymore.

The vehemence of my response surprises him. He lets me take control again. The gentle passion of last night is replaced with careful control by Edward and wild release blends with furious hunger from me. I lay exhausted in Edward's arms as he smiles serenely. "Well that will never be forgotten either. Bella you are so amazing."

I am content to stay in his arms forever, however at that moment my body betrays me. A loud growl from my stomach interrupts our beautiful silence. "Breakfast time for the human I guess." A blush rises from my chest up through my face.

"Well we do have to keep up your energy after all. I do not want you to be weakened by hunger on our honeymoon. Where would be the fun in that." Edward laughs as he sweeps me up off the bed into a firm embrace. As I go to the suitcase to find a night gown or something quick to put on Edward sits on the edge of the bed gazing at my body.

As soon as I am clothed I toss a pair of shorts to him. "Will you join me, or do you need to go get some breakfast yourself?" Even though he had fed well the day before our wedding his eyes are already darkening, a testament to how hard he has to control himself while we share intimacy.

"I think that is a good idea actually. I was going to wait till you are asleep tonight, but it might be wise to not push things to far. Is half an hour to long?" He asks with concern showing in his eyes. He does not want to leave me anymore than I want to be separated from him.

"It will be an eternity" I smile up at him "but I think I will survive. After all how much danger can I attract on a deserted island" I laugh.

"Knowing you, you will find something. Just stay away from the sharp knives okay" he jokes as he leans down to place a feathery kiss on my brow. Electricity races through me again at the feel of his cold lips on my skin. If he does not leave quickly we will both be waiting longer before either of us can eat. I wonder at the extremity of my hunger for him. I can happily and easily forsake all other necessities of life to remain connected to him at all times. Almost as if he can read the thoughts going through my mind he leans away, "I will be back quickly my beautiful Bella." Edward turns racing out the front door.

I quickly gather a bowl, some cereal, milk, a spoon, and a glass of juice from the well stocked kitchen and walk to the table to eat my breakfast. My thoughts though are miles away. I picture Edward as he hunts. Just the thought of his strength, speed and beauty are enough to make my skin tingle. I finish breakfast hastily and briefly clean up after myself. I run upstairs to get ready for Edward's return. I can hardly contain myself thinking of the day to come. I decide today we will go to the beach. I can not pass up any occasion to see him in the sun again. With no fear of exposure I am planning on making full use of our own private beaches.

A small worry nags at me about the way I am feeling. Edward and I have barely spoken in the last 24 hours. Will he be concerned with my obvious obsession to be with him physically? Since this is new to both of us I am not sure if my appetite for him should be alarming or not. I make a mental note to have more conversation today. I will have to carve out time for using my lips for speech instead of physical enjoyment. At least a few minutes throughout the day. Giddiness overwhelms me though when I think of what our lips will be doing when they are not being made to form words.

I go to the magic black bag Alice put together for me and choose one of the many bikinis, a bright blue suit with very little material but a matching sun dress to wear over it when not at the beach. With swimsuit and sunscreen in hand I wander to the bathroom and run the shower as hot as possible. The water streaming down my head and back erase the silly worries I had earlier about Edward thinking maybe I am depraved because of my hunger for him. After all I can see the hunger burning behind his eyes as well, and he initiates as much as I do. I close my eyes picturing again the burst of crystalline light from his skin this morning as we made love. How long I stay like that I do not know but suddenly the water flowing down my skin was is no longer hot. In fact it seems as if all the hot water has simply disappeared . I turn around to shut off the shower. Edward is standing between me and the shower head.

"The hot water feels nice. Do you mind if I join you?" a wicked smile wreaks havoc on my nerves as he moves closer to me.

Okay I think I can stop worrying about him thinking I am being taken over by nymphomania now. If I do have it, it must be contagious. I smile as I see the hunger for me explode in his eyes as our bodies respond to each others nearness.

Long after the hot water disappears we emerge from the shower and dress slowly. "Could you tie the straps for me please." I ask innocently as I hold out the bikini top to him with a suggestive look.

"We are enjoying the beach today I see." he replies as he slowly ties bows of the straps behind my back. Caressing my skin and sending chills down my body causing warmth to spread in return. If he keeps touching me like this we will spend the rest of our time here in the house and never make it outside at all.

"You know how I love the sun and warm weather. Be warned though you may have to drag me back to the house afterwards." I tease him. He dresses in swimming trunks without a shirt. I remember his explanation of how the sun feels on his skin and am envious of that feeling for a moment. I wonder how long it will be before I experience that myself.

At the door Edward helps me climb up onto his back and takes off running toward the beach. The island is even more beautiful in the bright sunlight than I had imagined last night. Flowers of every color and size adorn the lush vegetation. I can hear small animals in the bushes around us and a lone large creature calling for it's mate. "What type of animals are there here?" I assume there has to be sufficient for the all the Cullen's needs or they would not have chosen this island.

"Just your typical rain forest variety," Edward lightly responds, "I believe Carlisle did import a few more interesting creatures though." I hear the light candor in his voice and wonder what interesting creatures those may be. He obviously is not willing to tell me.

The beach appears before us seconds later, a beautiful pristine white sand beach. So unlike the damp cloud darkened rocky beaches of La Push, the sight takes my breath away. As Edward sets me down I reach down to feel the sand. It slides through my fingers like silk. I have never felt anything so soft and smooth. It feels like powder rather than granules of sand. Taking my hand Edward walks down the beach along the tide line. Neither of us speaking a word for what seems like hours. We are both content to simply hold each other's hand and wonder at the beauty around us. Eventually though I need to rest, it feels like we've walked miles on the beautiful beach. As I sit Edward comes behind me wrapping his legs beside mine and pulling me back to lean against his chest. The silence remains. The deepness of emotion flowing between he and I is every bit as sensual and commanding as the passion that had flowed freely since we escaped our own wedding reception the day before. Leaning against him I clearly see my eternity.

"Edward." I whisper afraid of breaking the bond of silent intimacy we share.

"Hmmm."

"When will we make it forever?" By the change in his breathing pattern I know he understands exactly what I am asking. I am ready to be his equal. I want him to be able to embrace me fully without fear of hurting me. I want to give to him the only gift I have left to give, my soul, my eternity. There is nothing else to wait for.

"Whenever you ask Bella." he breathes in my ear. There is no longer a trace of regret or sadness in his voice, it is filled only with love.

"I am ready now."

Edward reaches into the pocket of his swim trunks and pulls out the slim silver cell phone he always carries. "Carlisle, we are ready." Edward listens for just a second and then leans over to whisper in my ear. "Do you want Alice here as well?"

"Please." I answer quietly as tears fill my eyes at the thought of my best friend, now sister, coming to be with me during this time. I know it is going to be hard, and the fact that I will be surrounded by those who love me and whom I love most in this world comforts me beyond imagination.

"Yes she would love that. Thanks, we will see you in a few minutes then" Edward says as he closes the phone.

Hearing him say they will be here in a few minutes surprises me. "Where are they now?" I question.

"They are in another smaller beach house across the island. I called him while I was hunting this morning. You had been speaking in your sleep last night about this, and I knew you would be asking soon. You also spoke about how happy you were that Alice was there too" he holds me tighter and brings his lips to my neck breathing deeply and shuddering slightly. "When I was asking Alice if she would come with Carlisle she told me that they were already packed. She wouldn't think of not coming. She said she had seen this months ago."

"Will it go smoothly then?" I ask uncertainly.

"Yes Bella, she believes it will. I will never harm you."

I turn toward him and wind my fingers through his hair pulling his face to mine, connecting my human body to his one last time. As we lay together I hear a sweet chiming giggle coming from the tree line.

"Can we come out yet?" Alice teases.

Blood rushes to my face as I realize what has happened. They have arrived while Edward and I had been oblivious to everything but the feel of each other as we shared each other one last time. I hear Carlisle clear his throat as he steps through the trees. Alice dashes over and grabbs me up off the sand hugging me tightly.

"Alice" I barely breathe , her embrace is so tight it's very painful.

"Oh sorry, just got excited!" Alice stretches up and whispers in my ear, although why she whispers I don't know since both  
Edward and Carlisle will be able to hear easily. "I tried not to watch."

I realize that Alice is not just referring to coming upon us on the beach. My face floods with fire causing Edward, Alice, and Carlisle all to break out in an explosion of laughter.

Alice takes my hand and squeezes gently bouncing up to kiss my cheek, "That's okay you would have told me all about it anyway. I may still have to hear the story." At that Edward comes over and holds my other hand. Together the four of us look quietly over the ocean waves toward our own thoughts.

"Bella, where would you like to do this? I want you to be where you are most comfortable." Edward asks quietly.

I let go of Alice's hand and wrap my arms gently around his waist. "Here please. This beach is so beautiful, I can't imagine anything being bad here."

I sit on the beach in his arms for a few minutes more before Carlisle comes over. "You are ready now aren't you Bella." There is no question in his voice. He knows I have no doubts and I am ready for my future.

"Yes"

Carlisle comes toward me with a small syringe. "This will help with just the beginning. I am afraid it will not help once the change starts though. No medicines are able to numb that."

My entire body stiffens and my head begins to spin. Edward holding me in his arms realizes what is wrong before Carlisle can come any closer with the syringe. "Bella, the shot will help. But if you really do not want it you do not have to have it."

"No, no shots please." My voice is weak but full of conviction. Carlisle places the cap back on the syringe and puts it back in the bag.

Edward lies me down on the sand and lies beside me, caressing my skin comfortingly. Alice sits next to me and holds my left hand while Carlisle kneels at my head. I close my eyes to let them know I am ready.

Edward's lips are on mine, moving gently and lovingly. I respond in kind, making myself relax into his kisses as they slide from my lips to my cheek. His kisses linger on both my eyes slowly moving to my mouth again. His lips lift away only to reappear on my earlobe. Breathing deeply of my scent he moves down onto my neck. His tongue trails up and down my neck a few times as his hands caress my arm.

His breath stops as his lips part on my skin. Controlling my fear and forcing my body to relax I prepare for what is about to happen. I feel his razor sharp teeth slicing through my thin skin and the pull of my blood flowing to the wound. I feel no pain although I know it is there. My mind has gone into an observer mode. As if I am watching from a distance everything that is happening, but somehow all nerves have been disconnected. I see the pained expression on Edward's face as he pulls away from my neck, my body lying perfectly still. Alice seems to be encouraging him with her thoughts to go on. Edward moves to my wrists and finally to my ankles. I see the wounds created on each arm and leg however I feel nothing.

From far away I hear a heartbreakingly sorrowful wail. I look around from my distant location and realize it was coming from Edward. I wish I could hold him and let him know I am okay but I can not move. He lies beside my body and holds me closely. His body is wracked by tearless sobs as the wailing continues.

Time ceases to mean anything to me. I continue to watch though nothing changes. Carlisle never moves from my head although from time to time he checks my pulse and places his hand on my head as if he is checking for fever. Alice has never let go of my hand, and occasionally brushes the hair out of my face when a breeze blows. Edward has quit howling and now lies with his body pressing close to mine holding me tightly, his head lies on my chest over my heart.

The sun sets letting darkness fill the sky. The stars are beautiful. I am so thankful that we remained at the beach. My soul soars as I stare into the eternity of the night sky and imagine myself as radiant and eternal as the stars above. All through the night the four of us remain unmoving, nonspeaking, but unquestionably connected.

As dawn breaks across the sky my view point changes. I am no longer far away from my body and my loved ones. Very slowly I start to move back towards them. A slight tingling sensation chills my entire body. I tense a little thinking that soon I will be feeling the burning pain of my transition, but the pain never comes. However, now when I look at Edward I am looking out of my own eyes. The weight of his arms wrapped around me is comforting. Alice strokes my hand, and brushes the hair out of my face. Her hands are no longer abnormally cold.

Carlisle's fingers rest upon my neck for a few seconds; his hand rest on my forehead. His face is very relaxed. "She's almost finished now Edward. Her heart has slowed and is beating weekly. Her body is barely warm. I can't understand though how she has stayed so silent and so still. I am amazed."

"Bella." Edward sighs. "How can you be so strong. You are so wonderful, I will love with every breath I take for as long as I exist. You are my life. You are everything, nothing will ever separate us."

I try to lift my hand to stroke his hair and let him know that I'm okay. To let him know I love him too, but I still do not have control of my motor functions. I long to tell him how much I love him and that I will never leave his side even for a moment but no sound comes out. My lips move saying the words that only I understand.

I lie there enjoying the love being given me by the two most important people in my life thinking of how blessed I am to be a member of this incredible family. A wave of energy absorbs my body, tensing every muscle rippling again and again. The spasms are like nothing I have ever felt before. They are not pleasant nor are they painful. It's uncomfortable having my muscles spasm with tension uncontrollably though. A third wave of spasms overwhelm me, a new awareness is dawning. I not only see, smell, feel, and hear Edward, Alice, and Carlisle, but a new sense is there. Something I have never experienced before, it's as if we share one being. We no longer seem to be four separate people but as if they are each a part of me and I not only hear their thoughts and feel their feelings but completely understand everything about them. Their past is my past and their future is my future. I see everything stretching in both directions, past present and future in one all encompassing picture. I wonder if this was how Alice's visions feel.

Alice answers me as if I had asked the question aloud; it's like thinking to myself but thinking with the part of me that is Alice. "No Bella this is nothing like my visions. I have never imagined anything like this before. It seems like you are a part of me. I can see everything. This is beautiful." Her feelings of awe and peace flow between us reaching out to Edward as well. "Edward and Carlisle are a part of me too. This is unbelievable Bella."

"Bella, how are you doing this?" The part of me that is Edward wants to know.His love for me floods over and through me, I live in his memories of every touch we have ever shared and feel just as he had. I am awestruck by the power of his love for me. I see myself through his adoration tinted eyes and am amazed by the vision. I will never from this moment forward doubt his love for me, nor my beauty in his eyes. I am blown away by the fact that his emotions toward me are more powerful than any I have ever felt. I understand now how much more he has experienced with his magnified senses. I also understand how frustrating it has been for him having to read my expressions for clues as to what I was actually thinking . He had guessed wrongly so many times.

"You are so open to me. I know everything I have never been able to understand or see before. Your childhood, your love for your mom, Charlie, me, everything! I have wished for so long to be able to share your thoughts but I never guessed they would be as unbelievably innocent and loving as they are. I always thought you had a perfectly pure soul, now I can see I did not take that from you at all as I had so feared I would. Oh Bella I hope this does not end. I want to stay this way with you forever!"

The last wave of spasms washed through my body and the connection came to an end. The immediate loneliness assaults me. This absolute loneliness is devastating after feeling so close to those who mean the world to me. I open my eyes to see three pairs of amazed and astounded eyes staring inquiringly at me. My lips form a small sad smile. "Hi." It's all I can say as my heart battles with grief from the loss of our connection. What words could possibly be right after what we have just shared.

Edward's arms wrap around me grabbing me up and press me to his chest with great speed and force. I cling to him with everything I have in me. I never want to separate from his embrace. He's no longer cold, he's no longer hard as a stone statue. His body yields to the pressure of mine just as mine always has to his. The waves of spasms return connecting us again for a brief moment so deeply it feels that we share the same soul. His joy, his relief, and his excitement are my own, our emotions blend together and increase each other exponentially. No one else in the world exists. In fact the world may well quit existing. There is nothing but Edward and I, both of us in one being no shadow of each invisible to the other. As the sun warms our bodies and our mouths meet in a passionate kiss a nuclear explosion of emotion, the feeling and energy are overwhelming. I quit breathing. I wait for the dizziness to come but it never does. The familiar racing of my heart is missing, reminding me that I am now Edward's equal. He no longer has to fear hurting me. I push forward urging him to kiss me in ways he has never kissed me before. I gasp as his tongue discovers my mouth, a low growl issues from my chest. I grasp him tighter refusing to let him pull away. He tries to push back but I hold him in place. "Um Bella we are not alone right now." I hear him warn me as my body pushes at brink of disregard.

I freeze. "Oh crap Carlisle and Alice are still standing right beside us aren't they?"

"I think so my dear." His mind reaches out to read Carlisle and Alice. Their amused thoughts are chasing back and forth. Alice's joy at our embrace is almost comical. She's instructing Edward on the fine motor skills of making out. Not that he needs any pointers, in fact he has been doing amazingly on his own thank you Alice.

We both smile, "Well lets show them just a little more shall we since they seem to be enjoying this so much." Edward's voice tells me. He pulls back just far enough for my hands to slide seductively down his chest as his slide up from my waist feeling every inch of exposed skin. The coldness of his touch is gone but now I feel every ounce of his excitement as well as my own and he shares in mine. There is no force powerful enough to compare. The thin amount of control we possess is about to snap. I pull away smiling at him. "Thank you Bella" his soul whispers to mine just before our connection is released and we become two individuals again.

"Bella it's good to see you doing so well" Carlisle laughs. "This must be the fastest recovery time I have ever seen" the analytical doctor says. "Your entire transition took only 18 hours. I have never seen anything like it. You did not move or make a sound the entire time. It appeared that you were not even aware of the changes occurring. Can you tell me what it was like for you?"

I smile up at Edward knowing that he has experienced the same thing I had experienced during my changing. "She felt nothing at all Carlisle, she watched us from a distance the entire time. She became aware just seconds before we all joined in her awareness."

"Yes about that Bella, what exactly happened to cause that?"

"I don't know. One moment I was trying to comfort Edward to let him know I was okay, but I still could not speak or move and the next moment powerful waves were washing over my body and we were all together. It was like all of you were a part of me. Although you never spoke to me, I could feel you as if I were you." I try to explain to him.

"Hmm, I felt a connection too, but I could not place what was happening. There was no obvious change in me but I could tell you were pulling on me internally. I knew something was happening." Carlisle explains.

"Wait a minute, you did not feel Alice or I either?" Edward asks."Alice and I were just as connected with you as we were with Bella. I was a part of Bella you and Alice all at the same time, I could see feel and think everything as if I were each of you. You did not feel that?"

Carlisle does not answer right away instead he questions Alice, "Did you have the same connectedness Edward is speaking of?"

The smile that spreads across Alice's face is priceless, "Yes, it was beautiful! Bella and Edward will forever be a part of me now. I know I will never feel truly alone again!"

"That is interesting, I wonder why I did not feel any reciprocating connection."Carlisle wonders to himself "Bella, was there any difference before the connection began between me and the others?"

"I, I was wanting to comfort them, to reach out to them and let them know I was okay. You did not seem worried about me but I could see their concern." I feel like I need to apologize, like somehow I had sent out invitations to a great party and purposely left him off the list.

"Well, I for one will be very interested in how this develops. It seems our Bella has already found an incredible ability." Carlisle says sounding like a proud father. I am glad to not hear any hurt in his voice.

My body is starting to shake slightly and my throat begins to tingle. "I think I need a drink" I say shyly to the three of them knowing without a doubt that water would not quench my thirst this time.

"Let's show her how it's done then!" Alice squeals as she runs away through the trees. "Come on Bella, catch up!" she laughs from a distance. Edward grabs my hand and we race after her.


	4. Connections

EPOV

_**Connections**_

Bella and I lay on the beach in each others arms. The waves gently rushing up to meet the shore matching her heartbeat. The most beautiful sound in this world. My mind lingers on the wonder of this precious beautiful gift. I still can not believe she has agreed to be my wife. I do not deserve her love, but she has offered it so freely and so completely. My mind wanders through the memories of the hours since I saw her standing at the head of the stairway in our house. Beautiful in her wedding gown. Love radiating from her lighting up the entire room. My memories progress through out the rest of the day. My failed attempt to make love to her shortly after leaving out wedding reception, the pain I felt at the thought of letting her down. The fear that I would not be able give her the only human experience she had requested. I picture her standing in our bedroom here on the island last night longing to become one with me. The hunger for me in her eyes drawing me towards her. My mind lingers on the feelings of ecstasy she sent through my entire being as she physically became mine.

"Edward" she whispers. God how I loved to hear her say my name. Just hearing it form on her lips sends chills down my spine.

"Hmmm." I can not find words at the moment. The memories I am reliving and the sound of her beautiful hypnotic voice forming my name leave me speechless.

"When will we make it forever?" There it is the question I have been longing to hear and fearing at the same time. I am no longer against giving her her wish. She has convinced me she truly does want this, she wants to spend eternity with me. No doubts remain for her. What troubles me is knowing how painful this is going to be for her. I can not stand the thought that my venom is going to be causing her agony.

"Whenever you ask Bella." I breathe in her ear just loud enough for her to hear. I will not let her know how worried I still am about her change. I can not let her hear any hesitancy in my voice; it would hurt her severely.

"I am ready now." It is time to call Carlisle. I reach for my phone and make the call.

"Carlisle, we are ready." I state simply. There is no reason to explain further. This is the call he has been waiting for.

"Good, I knew she would not wait long. I'm ready." Carlisle replies. "Oh and Alice came with me she says she is going to be with Bella and you during this."

I smile knowing that is exactly how Bella wants it. The love between her and Alice is very strong.

"Do you want Alice here as well?" I ask already knowing her answer.

"Please." she says quietly as tears fill her eyes.

"Yes she will love that. Thanks, we will see you in a few minutes then." I hang up the phone and turn to Bella. I wish I could read her thoughts. I would know exactly what that questioning look on her face is all about. I would know what insecurities she may be feeling and I could comfort those fears.

"Where are they now?" Is that her only concern? Surely she has other questions.

"They are in another smaller beach house across the island. I called him while I was hunting this morning. You had been speaking in your sleep last night about this and I knew you would be asking soon. You also spoke about how happy you were that Alice was there too." Pulling her gently to my chest I inhale the fragrance of her neck for what may be the last time. A shudder runs through my body at the wonderful bouquet of her blood. "When I was asking Alice if she would come with Carlisle she told me that they were already packed and she wouldn't think of not coming. She said she had seen this months ago."

"Will it go smoothly then?" Had Alice not shared the positive results of all her visions regarding Bella's change there's no way I would ever consider doing it.

"Yes Bella, she believes it will. I will never harm you." She had to know that, I would never hurt her again, I could not hurt her.

Her body turns toward mine and she tangles her fingers in my hair. A surge of warmth runs through me. I hold her gently but securely against me as her lips find mine. Her kiss is full of unquestioning, completely trusting love. I kiss her back fully trying to let her know how much I truly love her as well.

Carlisle and Alice are approaching quickly in the forest but I am not ready to let go of Bella yet. They can wait till she releases me. Alice giggles happily from the edge of the trees.

"Can we come out yet?" Alice teases.

Bella's face turns a magnificent shade of pink as she realizes our embrace has been witnessed. Her easy blush brings a smile to my face; I am going to miss this. The realization that this may be the last time I ever see Bella blush saddens me slightly. Bella becoming my equal is more than I can ever deserve, but still I will miss her humanity.

_Edward we are coming out now_. Carlisle mentally warns me. Not that a warning is really necessary. Carlisle clears his throat as he steps through the trees.

Alice dances away from the trees and sweeps Bella up off of the sand from where she lies at my side and gives her a gentle hug. "Alice" Bella squeaks very quietly. Maybe Alice was not as gentle as she meant to be.

"Oh sorry, just got excited!" Alice apologizes to Bella. _Crap I really did not mean to squeeze her! It will be so much more fun when she's harder._ Alice reprimands herself shooting an apologetic glance at me.

Alice stretches up and whispers loudly in Bella's ear, "I tried not to watch." Bella's chest and face flush bright red as the meaning behind Alice's words sink in. Carlisle, Alice, and I all burst into laughter over this magnificent blush. Oh what a gift it is to see her blush one more time.

Alice bounces up placing a gentle sisterly kiss on Bella's cheek, "That's okay you would have told me all about it anyway. I may still have to hear the story." Memories of our recent intimacy overwhelm me; I must touch her. Again. I walk over and gently take the hand Alice is not holding. Hand in hand with Carlisle beside us we look out to the sea. I listen carefully to memorize the sound of Bella's heartbeat as it matches the incoming waves. This is a moment I will cherish for the remainder of my very long existence.

A few minutes of silence pass, Bella has still not made a move._ Are you sure she is really ready?_ Carlisle asks me.

I know she's ready but I don't know what she wants to happen specifically. We haven't discussed details. "Bella, where would you like to do this? I want you to be where you are most comfortable." I ask her quietly, not wanting to startle her out of her thoughts.

Letting go of Alice's hand she wraps her arms around me with great strength for her. "Here please. This beach is so beautiful, I can't imagine anything being bad here."

Holding her in my arms I inhale her scent deeply and prepare myself for the challenge I will have to face momentarily. In just moments she will be asking me to bite into her soft flesh with my highly venomous teeth. Asking me to poison her with the very substance that will still her heart forever and cause pain that she has only ever seen a slight glimpse of, and had begged pitifully for me to stop once before.

"You are ready now aren't you Bella." Carlisle states simply what we each know is true. She is ready. Bella is ready to end her human future, ready to sacrifice her life to be with me for eternity.

"Yes" Bella answers simply, with no trace of fear or doubt in her voice. Her eyes shine with the strength of her conviction.

Carlisle comes forward with a small syringe. "This will help with just the beginning. I am afraid it will not help once the change starts. No medicines are able to numb that."

Her entire body stiffens and her eyes widen at the sight of the anesthetic. She is terrified of getting the shot. She has such courage, it never fails to astound me how the very little things absolutely fill her with horror. "Bella, the shot will help. But if you really do not want it you do not have to have it." I reassure her. I hope she will take it, then I would know at least my biting her would not hurt, even if there is nothing that is capable of helping once my venom begins to spread throughout her body. No drug can ease that fire.

"No, no shots please." Bella answers commandingly in a soft voice. _Edward?_ Carlisle questions me silently making sure this is really what she wants. My head tipping to him a miniscule amount lets him know to put away the syringe.

I gaze lovingly into Bella's intoxicating brown eyes for what I know to be the last time, loosing myself in the warmth and depth of them. I slowly run my hands down her warm shoulders enjoying the heat on my icy skin and lie her down gently on the silken sand. I continue to stroke her arms, neck and face, taking in for the last time how tempting her blood, fragrance , and warm soft skin are. Burning all of her permanently into my memory, every sight, every smell, and every sound filing them away for future enjoyment . A calmness and assuredness comes over me as Alice takes Bella's left hand while Carlisle kneels at her head. I gaze into Bella's eyes for one last second as she slowly closes them. She is ready, her body is completely relaxed. I know it's time.

Even though Bella is ready for her change I am unable to bite her just yet. I know the pain is going to be intolerable for her, and impossible for me to witness. I have to make it special for her. Lowering my head gently, my eyes take in the sight of her beautiful face waiting so fearlessly for her torture. My lips meet hers and I kiss her with every ounce of love burning in me. She responds to my kiss her lips moving with a calm passion and reassurance. My lips glide from her full lips to her cheek. I place gentle kisses on both of her eyelids wishing it were possible for her to sleep through what I am about to do to her. I place one last light kiss on her lips and move to her ear. I whisper an apology for the pain she will endure even though I know she can not hear it. I inhale her beautiful aroma one more time. I know what I am sacrificing, but I remind myself of what I will gain by having her change. I encourage myself to move forward. My lips graze her neck. I need one last taste of her luscious skin. My tongue trails up and down her neck briefly as my hands caress her arms, preparing myself to fight my longing for her blood. My lips part against the skin of her neck. I feel her magnificent pulse just under my teeth. Closing my eyes I press my teeth into her delicate skin.

Bella's blood, the most addictive substance in the world fills my mouth. A white hot fire ignites not only in my throat but through my entire body urging me to take what I so badly need. Bella is lying utterly still, a vision of her dead and unchangeable flashes through my mind. A pain more intense than any thirst possible rips through my body as I pull myself away from her, repulsed for swallowing even one irresistible mouthful of her blood. Grabbing onto that repulsion as a life line I quickly embed my teeth into the veins of her wrists and ankles leaving them in just long enough to make sure an excess of venom now flows through her system. I do not want her suffering any longer than absolutely necessary. The white hot fire burns within me still, however the repulsion of causing her harm is keeping it in check. I do not battle the urge to take her blood again.

Fear paralyzes me as I realize Bella is not moving. She lies perfectly still as if dead. No sound escaping her, not even a finger twitches. Horror fills my heart thinking she may not make it. Throwing myself at her side grabbing her tightly, I will her to complete the change. There is nothing else I can do. I know I have not taken too much of her blood. Why is she not changing? Why is she not screaming out in pain as the fire of my venom burns through her body as she had before? I am going to loose her forever. A guttural wail pierces my lungs filling the sky around us. Clinging desperately to Bella's body I scream for all to hear, my sorrow pouring out unstoppable for hours.

Carlisle takes Bella's pulse, "Edward, she is still with us. She is going to make it. Her heart is slowing but still strong; the venom is still circulating." His reassurance bounces through my mind confusing any other thoughts. I can't believe that. If she is changing, if the venom is flowing through her veins right now then why is she so deathly quiet and still? I gently place my head on her chest to hear her heart for myself, it is the only way I can believe she will be okay. Her heart beat grabs at my being bringing me hope. I keep my head to her chest throughout the night. Her heart bringing me peace with every beat. It was the longest night of my life. Nothing matters to me but having Bella open her eyes again. As the night sky darkens points of light spread through the heavens as if bearing silent witnesses to my torment.

A slight westward breeze drifts in from the sea blowing Bella's hair over her face several times. Alice lovingly reaches out to pull her hair gently to the side each time. Our eyes catch as she tucks a strand of hair behind Bella's ear. _Edward, she is doing just fine; I promise. I know this is strange but she will make it through. I love her dearly too Edward, I would never have let you risk her life if there was any possibility of her not changing._ I know Alice is telling the truth. Watching Bella comatose is the hardest thing I have ever had to endure. I understand thrashing and screaming, I had been prepared for that, but I have no idea what Bella is feeling now. Is she in incredible pain and for some reason is paralyzed to show it? I hold her more tightly listening to her heart slow further becoming weaker as the stars disappear with the brightening sky.

I have no idea how I will make it though another night in this hell of uncertainty before I know that my beautiful Bella will be mine for all eternity. Every moment that passes seems to take hours. There is an endless amount of time between every precious beat of her heart. If her heart quits beating before the venom has completed the transformation of her body she will simply never wake. Her heart is slowing too quickly and weakening too severely for her change to be completed. A new fear crushes me in it's' grasp pain radiating through every fiber of my being. There has to be hope, maybe the god Carlisle believes in is real. If this god cares for humans maybe he will still save my Bella, but would he be willing to give her up to me? If I am barred from heaven because I have lost my soul why should he let her loose hers to stay with me? Maybe he is the vengeful, jealous god that Carlisle's father had believed in; if he is surely he wants such a perfect soul for himself.

Carlisle's voice is hammering in my head trying to break through my inner turmoil_. She is almost finished now Edward. Her heart has slowed and is beating weekly. Her body is barely warm. I can't understand though how she has stayed so silent and so still. I am amazed._

How is this happening, she can not be done so fast. I fear that the transformation has not been completed yet. I have to speak to her, let her hear my voice to know I am here with her and I want her to stay with me. I will not loose her now! I will not loose her ever again! "Bella." I sigh "How can you be so strong. You are so wonderful, I will love you with every breath I take for as long as I exist. You are my life. You are everything, nothing will ever separate us." There is no response from Bella. I can only hope that she had heard my voice and knows she has to come back to me. I continue holding her tightly as I listen to the final three beats of her heart. Her heart stops but still there is no change; Bella's body is cold and still no breath raises her chest. Alice is still stroking her hand, Carlisle is still at her head but he's no longer taking her pulse so he does not know that her heart has failed. Turning my face into her chest I hide my sorrow from them. Darkness closes around me as a hole rips through my chest leaving me ragged and suffering.

Pressing my eyes as tightly together as possible and refusing to lift my face from Bella's body I am suffocated by a huge wave of energy. Every muscle in Bella's body is contracting. Joy fills my soul with the realization that Bella is not lost forever, the forever dead do not move, they have no energy. I am clueless as to what is happening but I know it means my Bella is coming back to me! Lifting my face I look at Alice and Carlisle who have obviously felt the same overpowering energy. I start to question Carlisle, but I am overtaken by another crashing wave of the same energy. Staggered by what's happening I cling to Bella even tighter. A third wave of energy washes over us taking my consciousness with it. Blackness surrounds me momentarily. As light breaks through my darkness I notice I am not alone.

Bella, Alice, and Carlisle are all present in my mind. Unlike when I read minds I not only see their thoughts but their emotions and physical feelings as well. I know in that moment everything there is to know about each of them; I am sure they see me just as clearly. I force myself to focus only on Bella. Joy overcoming me as I see her mind as easily as my own. Her thoughts are more wonderful than I have ever imagined. I will never again doubt her love for me. Pain shoots through my heart as I look closer. Not only can I see her thoughts, I see her past. The movie of her life plays out for me to witness. She was such a beautiful child; Renee and Charlie cherished her. I see and feel our first encounters from her perspective. I appear to be a jerk yet she is intrigued as she tries to figure out what we are. Her unreasonable love is unshakable even as she discovers our secret. I enjoy the screenplay of our times together reveling in Bella's emotions and insecurities. I wish there was a fast forward button or that I could simply turn it off as the scene of my betrayal approaches. Bella is standing in the forest with me just outside of Charlie's yard. I break her, when I leave she is utterly broken. Her pain matches my own, however she has no escape, no distractions. I see her body carrying on with what needs to be done to support life systems but nothing more. Her soul, the most precious thing she owns, is lifeless almost as if it is missing. I watch as that mangy mutt Jacob pieces her back together. His unwelcome advances toward Bella causing her to battle with how to keep him near her so she can function without hurting him by letting him know she does not feel the same. She still loves me desperately even when I have left her to wade through hell. I witness all the stupid things _he_ helps her do to hear the delusions of my voice. Too many times she risks her life just to hear a hallucination of me yelling at her. How could I have left her. Finally I can take no more, I have to focus on some one else. Alice, yes I can focus on Alice she is here too.

"No Bella this is nothing like my visions. I have never imagined anything like this before. It seems like you are a part of me. I can see everything. This is beautiful." Alice spoke briefly to Bella but I hear her in me as well. "Edward and Carlisle are a part of me too. This is unbelievable Bella."

"Bella, how are you doing this?" I know Bella is the source of this wonderful connection and I desire to know if she understands what exactly is happening to all of us. "You are so open to me now. I know everything I had never been able to understand or see before. Your childhood, your love for your mom, Charlie, me, everything! I have wished for so long to be able to share your thoughts but I never guessed they would be as unbelievably innocent and loving as they are. I always thought you had a perfectly pure soul, now I can see I did not take that from you at all as I have so feared doing. Oh Bella I hope this never ends. I want to stay this way with you forever!"

Spasms rip through Bella's entire body again so forcefully I have to lift my head from her chest . Gazing down at her concern floods me. Her body is jerking so severely I know she has no physical control. Our connection is snapped; the spasm dissipates.

"Hi" Bella whispers as she looks up at Carlisle, Alice and I who are all staring down at her stunned by what has just transpired.

An overwhelming urge to grab Bella and never let her go dictates my actions. I scoop her up off the sandy beach holding her firmly to me. My heart soars as her arms wrap around my neck burying her head into my chest. She is no longer warm against me but I don't care. Energy throbs everywhere our bodies touch growing in strength the longer our bodies remain together. Bella presses her body closer to mine with a strength I stand no chance of fighting against. My body yields to hers, no longer a stone statue against a pillow.

Waves of spasms return connecting us again in a way that no other two people in the world have ever been connected. Her love, her excitement, and her joy blend with mine increasing each other exponentially. My universe consists of only Bella, her breath, her skin, her hair I revel in every touch. I never want our embrace to end, her soul as visible to me as her beautiful face. The sun warms our bodies from above casting shocking rays of light to reflect off of her now crystalline skin. A bomb explodes inside me as our lips meet. I kiss Bella with everything in me. I kiss her as I have so long imagined doing but never before could. Her response urges me on, her lips parting. I am no longer able to hold anything back. Slipping my tongue in her mouth tasting her in a way I have only dared dream I ever could. Bella's arms wrap tighter around me as she kisses me with such passion I nearly lose myself. Alice's thoughts are rejoicing in our intimacy. _Um Bella we are not alone right now._ I mentally warn Bella before we lose all restraint.

Every muscle in her body freezes but she does not quit kissing me. _Oh crap Carlisle and Alice are still standing right beside us aren't they?_ I smile enjoying knowing her thoughts.

_I think so my dear._ Knowing Bella can see my thoughts as clearly as I see hers I decide to let her see Alice and Carlisle's thoughts on our embrace for herself. _Okay Edward keep your kisses gentle you don't want to hurt her mouth, oh and make sure you don't leave venom all over her face, no one likes a sloppy kisser. _Alice is instructing me. _Well my son has finally become a man_ Carlisle is laughing to himself. Bella pulls away just long enough to give me an enchanting smile, deviousness dancing in her eyes. _Well let's show them just a little more shall we since they seem to be enjoying this so much _my thoughts caress hers receiving an immediate response as she slides her tantalizing hands down my chest. Moving my hands up from her waist thrilling over every magnificent curve of her body as I kiss her deeply and longingly. Every thought of our audience disappearing from my mind as I pull her in tight ready to enjoy her more fully. Bella pulls easily away from my embrace smiling up at me, bringing me back to reality. _Thank you Bella_ I think to her as our connection is severed leaving us two separate people again. Her mind closed to me once again.

"Bella it is good to see you doing so well" Carlisle laughs. "That has must be the fastest recovery time I have ever seen." _Not to mention the romantic marathon you were so ready to engage in as soon as you woke_, he marvels. "Your entire transition took only 18 hours. I have never seen anything like it. You did not move or make a sound the entire time. It appeared that you were not even aware of the changes occurring. Can you tell me what it was like for you?" His mind is working overtime trying to figure out a medically sound explanation for her obvious lack of pain during her change.

Bella smiles up at me serenely, wanting me to answer for her. "She felt nothing at all Carlisle, she watched us from a distance the entire time. Bella became aware just seconds before we all joined her in awareness."

"Yes about that Bella, what exactly happened to cause that?" Carlisle asks.

"I don't know. One moment I was trying to comfort Edward to let him know I was okay but I still could not speak or move, and the next moment powerful waves were washing over my body and we were all together. It was like all of you were a part of me. Although you never spoke to me, I could feel you as if I were you." Bella answers. I wonder why Carlisle did not speak to us**,** both Alice and I were completely taken by the connection and took full advantage of being able to communicate and connect with Bella in such an intimate way.

"Hmm, I felt a connection too, but I could not place what was happening. There was no obvious change in me but I could tell you were pulling on me internally. I knew something was happening." Carlisle explains.

"Wait a minute, you did not feel Alice or I either?" I ask. "Alice and I were just as connected with you as we were with Bella. I was a part of Bella, you, and Alice all at the same time, I could see, feel, and think everything as if I were each of you. You did not feel that?" I don't understand, Carlisle had been just as accessible to me as Alice and Bella had been, how had he not felt the same connection.

Carlisle does not answer right away instead he questions Alice, "Did you have the same connectedness Edward is speaking of?"

Alice smiles brightly her entire body alight with excitement. "Yes, it was beautiful! Bella and Edward will forever be a part of me now. I know I will never feel truly alone ever again!"

"That is interesting, I wonder why I did not feel any reciprocating connection." Carlisle ponders, thoughts of disappointment from being left on the outside of something so obviously special well hidden by his analytical facial expression. "Bella, was there any difference before the connection began between me and the others?"

"I, I was wanting to comfort them, to reach out to them, and let them know I was okay. You didn't seem worried about me but I could see their concern." Bella replies almost apologetically.

_Maybe I should let her see my concern for her more often_ Carlisle thinks to himself giving me a sly look. "Well, I for one will be very interested in how this develops. It seems our Bella has already found an incredible ability." He replies for everyone to hear, hiding his disappointment well.

Bella is shaking slightly a frantic look etched on her face. Worry creeps over me wondering if this is another effect of her change or if she is about to use her gift again. "I think I need a drink" she tells us quietly but with desperation in her voice.

"Let's show her how it's done then!" Alice squeals as she sprints away through the trees. "Come on Bella, catch up!"

I grab Bella's hand, excited to see how she will do with her first hunt, flashing a smile at Bella we run after Alice. Bella is keeping up with me easily, this is going to be fun!


	5. The Thirst

_**Oops I forgot the important little AN. Sorry if this causes duplicate alert notifications. I am not Stephenie Meyer and own not a single right to do to these characters what I have done, however I have had fun in the process. So thanks Steph.**_

_**Also I bow to my wonderfully fabulous Beta to whom I will be eternally grateful for figuring out the mysterious upload problems I have been having. xoxoxox you are priceless!**_

_**As always if you want more give me some luvin a'right!**_

The Thirst

The island no longer smells the same as I am running with Edward preparing for my first hunt. The overwhelmingly lovely scent of flowers is still there but there's another overpowering scent I can't place. It seems to be coming from every side. In some places it's heavier than others but it's everywhere. My throat feels as if I have run a full marathon but I know the running is not the cause. The more my throat burns the more scared I become. This has been my biggest fear about becoming a vampire; the fear of loosing me to _The Thirst_.

"Edward, the smell is driving me insane, what is that smell?" I growl angrily.

Edward looked over at me surprised by the tone of my voice. "What do you smell?"

He asks gently as he slows down so he can look into my eyes.

Loudly and forcefully with great impatience I inform him, "If I knew that I wouldn't ask would I? There is a scent that overpowers everything! It is everywhere, some places it is strong and other places it is weaker but I WANT IT NOW!"

A brief flash of concern lights his face followed quickly by an understanding gentle loving expression. "Bella my love, that scent is blood. It's the blood of the animals inhabiting this island. It's stronger where larger animals are and weaker where there are the fewest and smallest animals. If you follow the strong scents you'll find what you need so badly right now." Squeezing my hand firmly looks directly in my eyes. "I'll follow you. I think you will know what to do. Just focus on the scent."

I push away the growing fear of being consumed by my thirst . There is no room for emotional fear left in my mind. My entire body, all my energy, all my thoughts are on one thing. I have to find the scent. Standing in place I circle slowly, focusing on the differences in strength of the scent. As I focus the scent turns from simply an olfactory sense to visual and physical sense. The area surrounding me is no longer filled with tropical flowers and fauna; it's now a landscape of black solid shapes lit by multiple hues. My skin feels a tingling vibrating pull towards a strong violet light. The most beautiful perfume in the world fills my mind. Bella is gone. Crouching low I spring and run on silent feet. In less than a second I see my prey about fifty yards to my left. Turning in mid air I redirected my momentum. My arms wrap around the creature and my teeth sink deeply through the tough bristle of fur into the soft warm flesh. As I pull the life from the creature into my mouth I feel an exhilarating strength consume me. As the creatures' heart beats for the last time a warmth floods through my body, this is the best feeling I have ever felt before. The fire in my throat eases gently not quite extinguished but definitely dimmed. As I lay the carcass on the ground the air changes around me.

Looking around I see a vine with the most breathtaking lavender and lilac colored flowers scaling its way up a tall palm tree. I move toward the flowers wanting to feel them. The visual texture of the flowers is so amazing I have to get closer and examine them. Leaning in I inhale the intoxicating aroma. Beautiful! I reach out to pick a flower to feel the texture of it better. I reach out to pluck the flower from the vine but instead rip the entire vine off of the side of the tree. Horrified at how I have just destroyed the most beautiful plant I have ever seen dry sobs wrack through my body.

Gently hands are laid on my shoulders, turning me around. "It's okay Bella, its okay. I'm right here."

I turn to embrace Edward. Before I realize what is happening Edward is flying backwards through the air. A look of horror and fear cross his face just as his body hits a tall palm tree shattering the trunk. Carlisle and Alice come running toward us at the sound of shattering tree and Edward's immediate moans. Shock fills my body as I sink to the ground in violent convulsions.

"This is not good." Alice says in a voice no stronger than the sound of a gentle wind sliding around the edges of a single blade of grass. I hear it as if she were beside me speaking distinctly to me although she is nearly 200 yards away crouched beside Edward's body. Blackness overtakes me.

EPOV

Bella and I run through the trees at unbelievable speeds; I prepare myself to catch her if she falls before I realize she will not be falling anymore. Bella's head swivels from side to side frantically. I slow down slightly looking at her desperately trying to figure out what's wrong. A fire burns behind her crimson eyes as I hear her growl "Edward, the smell is driving me insane, what is that smell?"

Terrible concern consumes me caused by the palpable anger radiating from Bella. I have never seen such frustrated anger on her face. "What do you smell?" I know that her senses are much stronger than before, but I am shocked that something is aggravating her senses this badly.

"If I knew that I wouldn't ask would I? There is a scent that overpowers everything! It is everywhere, some places it is strong and other places it is weaker but I WANT IT NOW!" Bella screams at me.

Well there we go, I almost laugh as the realization of what is bothering her dawns. I had forgotten how raw and consuming thirst can be for a newborn. Keeping a steady gaze with her eyes I calmly explain that the all consuming smell is the scent of her prey and encourage her to relax and follow her instincts. Holding her hand securely I try to reassure her that she is doing wonderfully.

Bella lets go of my hand drawing in a deep breath and turning in circles surveying our surroundings. Her focus is extreme. Thoughts of my first hunting experience come rushing back. The uncertainty of how to cause the needed injury, the first few times did not go so well for me. A flash of Bella as she charges past me snaps me out of my stupor. In less than two seconds she has found her prey. A large Capybara is cradled against her body as she takes the nourishment she so desperately needs. Not a drop is wasted as she drains the animal of its life giving blood. All tension visibly leaves her body as she lies the animal down; her thirst has obviously been abated.

Standing up she approaches a flowering vine growing up the trunk of a tall palm tree. Bella seems to be studying it as if she has never seen such flowers before even though they are all over the island and we have a vase full of them back at the beach house. Bella reaches out as if to tenderly stroke the petals. What is she doing... she just ripped the entire plant from the tree completely uprooting it. Does she not like the smell? As confusing to me as she was as a human, she is an absolute mystery as a vampire. Oh no, she's crying.

I run to her hoping to offer comfort. Surely she is upset as the realization of her first kill hits her. Gently placing my hands on her shoulders I turn her around to hold her tightly. "It's okay Bella, its okay. I'm right here."

Bella is a blur. One second I am preparing to embrace her and offer her comfort, the next thing I know the breath is forced out of my lungs and I am flying through the air across the island. What went wrong? How did I make her so mad? Maybe she did not want my comfort, but just moments ago I was sure she loved me as deeply as I love her. How could I have been so wrong, why is she fighting me? Pain races through my body as my back slams into a palm tree hundreds of yards away from Bella. A loud splintering sound rips around me; a shattering sharpness pierces my very core. Painful groans escape from my barely functioning lungs as the top of the tree, shattered by the force of my body hitting it, falls hard to the forest floor.

Carlisle and Alice are standing over me; concern, shock, and mild anger fill their eyes as they reach down toward me. "This is not good." Alice whispers quietly enough I am sure Bella can't hear.

"I'm okay Alice, just sore. I just can't believe Bella hit me. What happened?" I asked Alice hoping she can give me some clarity. Right now I don't know what to think, did Bella hurt me on purpose? Has her thirst consumed her so ravenously causing her to turn against me? Does she feel I am a threat to her hunting grounds?

"Edward" Alice says breaking through my thoughts my face in her hands forcing me to look her in the eye. "Edward that was an accident. Bella does not realize her own strength yet, and her strength is more than I have ever seen in any vampire, even newborns. She turned to hold you not hit you. She is not used to the speed she has yet either." Realization dawns and I immediately begin worrying about Bella.

My legs won't cooperate as I try to stand. Groaning I force myself into a sitting position, pain flashing through my torso and radiating down my legs made me pause. "Carlisle, this hurts" I whisper, my lungs not able to create enough force for a louder voice.

"Edward lean forward. Let me see your back" Carlisle commands. I had to have his help to lean forward as he had asked; flames shoot up my spine wracking my brain. I have not felt such pain since my birth into the vampire life.

"Oh my God Edward, your back is broken!" Alice screams, forming a mental picture so I can see the damage for myself. Along the center of my back is a small crack with about two inches of missing flesh.

"Relax Alice! Edward this is not a problem." Carlisle is trying to assure us. "All I have to do is put the little missing piece back and you will heal immediately. Alice help me find Edward's missing piece." He was trying to keep a straight face but I could see how humorous he found this situation. _'He can fight off the most demonic of vampires but is left broken and in pieces by his own true love, and she was only trying to hug him. I wish Emmett were here to see this; Edward is never going to live this one down.' _ Carlisle's thoughts are reassuring even if they are annoying. He would not be laughing at my situation if he feared it was serious.

"Got it Carlisle." Alice held up a two inch by four inch sliver of me. If I were human the nausea in my stomach at that moment would have spilled forth. "Just like a man," Alice jokes "Finds his soul mate and loses his backbone."

Carlisle places the piece in my wound. Instantly I feel my wound closing. My pain receding and I feel strength returning. Grabbing Carlisle's hand I pull myself up to a stand looking around for Bella.

"Bella!" I scream as I run to her side. Bella is lying in the dirt next to the plant she had uprooted moments ago. Convulsions shaking her entire body as dirt and plant parts cling in her hair and cover her body.

Alice and Carlisle are at my side before I can call them over. "We need to get her back to the house Edward."

Irrational fear fills me as I rip Bella up off the ground and race back to the beach house. I can not loose her. Why is she not waking up? She can't even sleep, so what exactly is going on? Vampires can't faint, we can't sleep, and I know she can't be dead so what the hell is going wrong now!


	6. Fear

_**I own no right to these characters nor the baseline story behind them those belong to the ever talented Stephenie Meyer.**_

_**Major Kudos to my wonderful Beta, and quickly becoming friend, RindaRoo for the amazing turn around time. I don't think the girl even slept last night. I sent this off after midnight and it was waiting for me when I checked my email this morning! You rock girl thank you!**_

_**As always a puppy wags its tail when it is pet so leave me reviews!**_

Fear

CPOV

Edward is panicking over Bella's convulsions and state of unconsciousness. I have to do something to eleviate his fears. Hiding my own uncertainty behind a mask of command I tell him to get Bella to the house. Edward grabs Bella up off the ground so harshly and quickly that if she had still been human her spine would have snapped and dashes off through the trees at his fastest speed.

Alice is starting to sprint after Edward when I grab her arm being careful not to think anything Edward might pick up. I wait till he is out of hearing range before I address my concerns with Alice. "I have never seen anything like this Alice. I do not know what we are facing here. I am going to need your help with Edward, if this goes bad he is going to fall apart. Right now things are not looking good for her."

"I will help Edward in any way I can Carlisle you know that. I'm afraid I do not agree with you though' Bella is going to be fine." Alice responds in a voice that is hard to decipher. I am not sure whether she is trying to reassure me or argue with me. It really does not matter now, we need to get to Edward and Bella. Running at our highest speeds we race toward the beach house.

Edward's moans of despair can be heard easily from outside the house as Alice and I approach. Taking the lead I rush upstairs to Bella and Edward's honeymoon suite. The soft linens are thrown back and hanging off the bed where Bella lays deathly still, eyes closed. All of my years of medical training and experience are useless now. I walk behind Edward holding his heaving shoulders firmly in my hands. _It will be okay Edward she can't leave you now, there is no death to fear here._

"What should I do Carlisle? What can I do for her?" Edward's voice is laced with pain and insecurity as he asks these questions that I have no answer for.

"We wait and we hold her and we let her know we are here. She is still with us Edward she can still hear us." Alice replies firmly.

The next two hours pass in silence as the three of us sit around Bella. Alice sits by Bella's head running her fingers through Bella's hair at first untangling the knots and removing the debris but later it seems to be more of an unconscious gesture of affection. Edward lies at Bella's side holding onto her tightly. I simply hold Bella's hand praying she will awaken soon.

EPOV

Bella has been lying in bed motionless for hours now and there is no change. I can't just sit here in this verbal silence but mental barrage. For the last hour Alice has been chanting over and over again _It's alright Edward It's alright. _Even the repetitive reassurances from Alice are nothing compared to the ongoing prayer from Carlisle to a God I am sure does not exist for a soul that is already doomed. A soul I have doomed, my precious Bella.

"I'm going downstairs." I declare as I reach my breaking point. I can not listen to them anymore. Descending the stairs at human pace I walk to the piano and sit to play. I may not be able to help Bella but I have to drown out their voices. Esme's song is first to be played followed by Bella's lullaby. If I were capable of tears now I would be crying my heart out as fear for my beloved consumes my heart. I unknowingly move into the song I wrote for Bella as a wedding present. As the piece ends I can play no more. I sit at the bench waiting to be assaulted by Carlisle's and Alice's thoughts again, but I am met only by silence.

An unknown amount of time passes as I sit on the piano bench wrestling with my thoughts. I should not have changed Bella. She wanted it badly but ultimately it was still my selfish decision. I wanted her forever, I wanted to know she would be with me till the end of our existence. Because of my selfishness she is lying upstairs unreachable and without hope of help. By taking her for myself I have hurt her more than anything else, I have hurt her worse than James or Victoria ever could have. They would have killed her body but I have killed her body and her soul.

A sharp shattering scream pierces the night as I wallow in my self loathing. _Edward get up here now!_ Alice demands, her thoughts jarring me with visions of Bella's body thrashing.

Racing in the room I see Bella lying exactly as she was when I went downstairs. Another ear splitting scream erupts from Bella as the thrashing begins. Alice and I try to hold down her arms and legs to keep her from hurting herself but she is to strong for us to restrain her. _Its going to be okay Edward she's coming around. _Alice's thoughts calm my crippled nerves.

BPOV

The sky darkens as storm clouds cover the bright sky. Thunder rips through the sky as the clouds bring forth a deluge of rain, soaking everything in it's path within seconds.

Jasper is running around upstairs gathering everything that is needed for a night of vampire baseball, not wanting to loose a second of play time. Emmett smacks Jasper upside the back of his head, "Come on man you're wasting time let's get to the field. Rose and Esme are waiting for us in the jeep."

The jeep bounces over the rough road at unbelievable speeds as the four sitting inside joke lightheartedly about the events to come. "So, Rose and me verses you and Esme alright?" Emmett announces loudly while smacking Jasper's shoulder.

"That sounds just fine Emmet" Esme laughs.

The jeep approaches a dead end pulling to the side and stopping. Jasper climbs out holding the bases and sprints through the downpour toward the field. Emmett follows holding three aluminum bats and chases after Jasper. Esme and Rose climb out last holding a bag of baseballs each laughing at the competition already flowing heavily between the guys. "So Esme who should we let win tonight?" Rose laughs as they head after the boys.

"I think we should let Emmett have his turn in the winners circle tonight, Jasper's been wiping the floor with him lately. I don't think Emmett's won a video game in over a week" Esme answers.

"If they knew we plan who is going to win before hand they would kill us wouldn't they?" Rose chuckles.

The game starts and the teams take turns with who is in the lead. A strange scent fills the air causing all of them to lift their heads turning toward the row of trees at the far end of the field.

A lone figure approaches in cut off sweat pants. Jacob. He appears to be struggling to keep his human form, anger furrows his brow as his entire body is shaken with rage. "Where is Bella?" He snarls as Emmett steps forward.

"She's fine dog, she's on her honeymoon with Edward _her husband_" he growls. "If you do not leave here in the next thirty seconds the only persons' well being you need to worry about is your own. Get you smelly hide out of here mangy mutt."

"Either you show me Bella within three days or the war is on you filthy leeches. If he has so much as placed his teeth on her you will all die slow and painful deaths.

Convulsions once again overtake my body as my view of Esme, Emmett, Jasper, and Rose slips away.

The air rushes out of my lungs in a loud scream. My eyes flying open I see Alice and Edward desperately trying to hold down my flailing limbs.

"Bella, what's wrong. What's happening?" Edward asks as his pain filled eyes stare into mine.

"We need to go home NOW! In three days time the wolves are going to start a war if I do not go home."

"Bella, we don't understand you need to explain this to us. How is you going home going to stop this war with the dogs?" Edward asks with anger seeping into his voice.

"Jacob knows, he knows I've been changed, or at least he suspects it. We need to make him think I'm still human." I whisper.


	7. An Early Return

AN: I had hoped to get the conflict into this chapter but it took on a life of its own and got to long. The face off will be next chapter. Once again I apologize for any mistakes you find; I have tried to proofread this as thoroughly as possible.

I do not own the Cullen's, any of the other fabulous characters , or any right to play with these characters. Those rights belong to Stephenie Meyer.

An Early Return

BPOV

Edward wraps his arms around me embracing me tightly. "I don't think that's possible Bella." He whispers gently in my ear. "You have not seen yourself yet, but there is no way we could even convince Charlie that you are the same girl who left just days ago."

The sorrow swirling in his eyes is heart-wrenching. I have to see for myself exactly how bad this situation truly is. "I need to see a mirror please."

Alice jumps up from where she is sitting and grabs a silver hand mirror off the dresser bringing it to me. A small gasp escapes my lips as I take in my new visage. My hair is still the same color as always although it seems to be lit from within. No longer is there any hint of frizz or split ends at the bottom, the small waves ripple down my back as soft as silk. My skin radiates with the small amount of filtered sunlight coming through the sheer curtains. Any remaining hints of childhood are erased from my face, replaced by chiseled angular features. This is a face that could easily grace the covers of Vogue, not the face of the clumsy girl I was three days ago. I let out a breath of defeat as I realize Edward's statement is true. Even without the blood reddened eyes Charlie would not recognize me if we passed on the street. True he might think that I resembled his Bella but he would never guess that it was me.

"Maybe, I could just call Jacob and reassure him that all is well?" I ask hopefully.

"I don't think that will work Bella." Alice answers. "Have you listened to your voice? You do not exactly sound like your old self, he would notice the difference and know immediately."

"I don't think there is that much of a difference. I can always try to make my voice more gruff than it really is. It's worth a try right?"

Obviously Edward is not sure about this but wants to appease me. "Why don't we try calling someone else first. If they do not recognize who you are though do not tell them, you have to promise to hang up. Agreed?"

"Okay that sounds fair. Should we call my dad? I would like to speak with him anyway?" I ask.

"No if he senses something is wrong the first person he will go to is Billy, and Billy will tell Jake immediately. It has to be someone who would never think of telling Jake anything but who knows your voice well." Alice answers.

"Newton." Edward growls "He probably has every nuance of you memorized. If he does not recognize you no one would." Edward grabs his cell phone and begins dialing Mike's number from memory. I won't even ask why he knows that number; I am just grateful that we're trying. Edward hands me the phone as it starts ringing.

"Hello?" I hear Mike's mother answer.

"Um, hi" I stammer for effect. "Is Mike there please."

"Sure hold on a minute." she replies. "MIKE phone call." her yelling echos through the phone making me cringe. At least she did not ask who was calling.

"Yah" Mike asks as he picks up the phone.

"Oh hey Mike, how are you?" I ask waiting impatiently for his reply.

"Uh fine, um who is this?" I sigh as I hang up the phone defeated.

We gather the few belongings we desire to bring back with us and take off running toward the small landing strip. The small two seater airplane Edward and I flew in is tucked away inside the hanger, next to it is another aircraft slightly larger with six small circular windows dotting along the sides. Without speaking Edward climbs into the plane we arrived in as Carlisle and Alice jumped into the other. The engines start and we pull out onto the runway, our speed increasing dramatically until we are airborne half way down the strip.

The flight goes by quickly but silently. We have to land once to refuel, Carlisle had called the tower in flight to let them know we are under emergency circumstances and after arranging for substantial payment we're cleared with priority status. Within minutes we're airborne again heading back to Forks Airport. The thought of calling the small strip of asphalt an airport would have struck me as funny at any other time, most department store parking lots are larger than the entire airport property. Thankfully these small airplanes don't require much landing space, flying into Seattle would drastically increase our travel time and we need to get home as quickly as possible.

We land uneventfully leaving our baggage in the planes, we will come back for them later. It would seem concerning if the townspeople saw us carrying our own luggage from the small strip. We take off running through the forest towards our house and our awaiting family. Carlisle calls Esme as we run letting them know we have landed and are on our way home. Just minutes later we run up the driveway to see Esme, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett standing impatiently on the front porch.

"Three days!" Emmett shouts excitedly clapping his hands together once and rubbing them in anticipation. Jasper glances over at Emmett and simply shakes his head. Waves of agitation being cast in all directions from him.

"There will be no war Emmett." Carlisle declares. "Family meeting now in the living room please. We need to plan."

"What do you mean no war!" Emmett argues disappointedly. " We're not running from a bunch of dogs!" He adds with a note of anger.

Carlisle wraps his arms around Esme for a brief moment and then leads her into the living room by the hand. The rest of us follow behind hand in hand with our loved ones to see what he has in mind.

We all choose our preferred spots in the living room; we turn toward Carlisle as silence fills the room.

"I have given this some thought and as far as I can see we have three options." He instructs us. "One, we can run. If we leave the Olympic Peninsula the pack will not follow us. Their loyalty is to the people of the reservation; they would not leave the reservation unprotected to chase us across the nation or the globe. Although one certain member of the pack might. This could cause problems if he were to try to take his vengeance upon us one by one." Carlisle pauses waiting for any comments.

"We're NOT running from a pack of dogs!" Emmett shouts once again expressing his opinion on this option.

Carlisle simply nods his head giving Emmett a look of amusement. "Option two, we stand and fight. Do not take this option lightly. We would be fighting against men who we have fought with in battle, that is not something easily done. I count some of these men as friends and would hate to harm them. They should not be our enemies." Once again Carlisle pauses for any comments, only to be met with thoughtful glares. "Also know that the pack are skillful fighters and outnumber us; it would not be an easy victory. We may suffer losses." With that our glances moved from Carlisle to those who we love more than life itself.

Losing any one of my family is not a risk I am willing to take. I would rather run to the far corners of the Earth and never speak to any human for the remainder of my existence than to loose any member of my family. I can not bare to think of the possibility of loosing Edward. No battle of pride is worth the hell that my life would become without him.

"Option three" Carlisle announces with resolution " We call the Denali coven and stand together against the wolves. We will then outnumber them. They will not attack knowing the casualties they would face. They can't risk leaving the tribe unprotected for a battle of one pack members pride. We will re-negotiate the pact. We will be needing to leave anyway, Bella can not remain in this close proximity with humans. Our time here is over regardless of the outcome."

Carlisle stands taking Esme's hand leading her toward the stairway. "We'll be back down in ten minutes. We will all decided then what is to be done.

"We are not running from a pack of dogs!" Emmett petulantly reiterates once again stomping his foot hard enough to leave a small crack in the hardwood floor.

"No Emmett we're not running." Edward soothes him, "If we run they will chase. Jacob will never let this go; he will follow wherever we lead him. He has alpha blood, if he leaves others can follow and split the pack. That is a risk we can not take. If three or four of them were to get one of us alone it would end badly."

Rosalie crosses her arms and gives a small "hmph" as her only reply. Edward tilts his head slightly raising his eyebrows at her but chooses not to comment on whatever thought she just shot his way.

Alice and Jasper remain silent. Jasper holds Alice tightly on his lap her tiny hands wrapping around his neck as she snuggles her face into his chest. Jasper would never agree to a decision that puts Alice at risk unnecessarily.

Esme and Carlisle return to the living room and take their place in the center of the room. "What is our answer?" Carlisle asks.

"We call Carmen." Jasper answers.

"Alice?" Carlisle questions. Alice simply shakes her head to agree with Jasper holding him more tightly.

"We are not running from a pack of dogs!" Emmett vigorously repeats his new mantra. Carlisle smiles and looks to Rosalie.

"Really I don't think the dogs stand a chance either way, but call Denali. I'd rather not kill Bella's pet."

She snarls.

"Rose!" Esme admonishes as I send a killing look in Rosalie's direction. Edward's arms wrap around me holding me to him to keep me from attacking my least favorite relative.

"Call Denali." Edward states simply. I nod my head in agreement not trusting my emotions enough to speak at this moment.

Carlisle heads back upstairs toward his office leaving Esme sitting in the living room with us. "This will work out for the best. You have all made a good decision. Once a new treaty is made we will head to Alaska." Esme pauses for a moment a with a questioning look. "How did you know you needed to come home?"

Edward's smile spread broadly across his face lighting his eyes with pride. "Bella told us what was happening in the meadow when Jacob confronted you guys."

The hush filling the room was astounding as all eyes turned toward me, Alice suppressed a slight laugh smirking knowingly at me. "You can see the future just like Alice!" Emmett yells excitedly, "Dude but wait the dogs were there. Alice can't see the dogs."

I can't help but laugh at the disbelieving face Emmett is making. "Actually Emmett I can see you, I didn't view the future I viewed the present."

"Tell us how this works please Bella." Esme asks.

"Well it started when I accidently threw Edward through a tree breaking his back." Emmett's snickers bounce off the walls as he rolls on the floor with laughter. Standing up he raises his fist in the air for me to hit. "I was mortified at what I had done and worried about what you all would do when you found out. Carlisle, Edward, and Alice thought I was unconscious but I was well aware of everything that was happening around me but I was focussing on those of you here. I guess my mind was with you leaving me unable to make my body respond. It was as if I were an inactive participant of what was happening here. When I heard the threat I knew I had to let Edward and Carlisle know so I withdrew from you." I answer as fully as I really understand. "I am not sure exactly how all of this works."

"So you can go floating around outside your body, Sweet!" Emmett replies candidly ducking as Rosalie's hand swipes toward his head. "Ha you missed!" Rose lands a solid slap with her other hand. "Ouch!"

"That's not all she can do Emmett." Alice informs him in a teasing tone. "She can completely crawl inside your head and see everything you think feel or ever did, she can open up to let you see her that way too! It's very awesome!"

"NO! You didn't. I want to see!" He yells jumping up and down in a very excited Alice sort of way.

"Stop Emmett before we have to replace the living room floor!" Edward growls. "She is not going in your head! She may not come back alive or sane."

Emmett looks pleadingly at me. "Please Bella."

"Emmett I really don't understand how I do it yet, I don't really have control over it. When it happens I am actually pretty out of control. It seems to be linked with extreme emotion. The first time was when I first woke up from my change. The second was well..." I wish I hadn't opened that sentence.

"The second was when she was attacking Edward in a very intimate way on the beach right in front of me and Carlisle." Alice laughs. "It would have put the best of you and Rosalie to shame."

Had I been able to blush my face would have long passed red and would have been well on its way to purple. Edward tightens his hold around my waist in a very reassuring way. I breathe deeply trying to ease my embarrassment.

"The third was while I was extremely worried over Edward's injury and what your reaction would be, I was afraid you would not want me to be around you knowing I could injure any of you so easily." I finish my thoughts not quite sure if I am thankful that Alice shared my second experience or not.

"Bella we would never send you away. There is nothing you are capable of that would ever make us turn our backs to you." Esme replies lovingly coming over to sit beside Edward and me wrapping me in a tight hug.

Carlisle strolls back into the room a satisfied smile firmly in place. They will all be here tomorrow.

The rest of the night passes quietly as we all think about what is to come, laying our best plans forth for the others to comment on. The sun rising in the window announces the coming day.

"Bella, you need to hunt again. Until we are in Alaska I want you hunting every day, we are to close to people to let your thirst go unquenched for the smallest amount of time. Emmett, Rose please go with Bella and Edward. We would not want any mishaps." Carlisle requests.

My face flames red with humiliation that I need multiple babysitters to keep me in line while hunting. I stand and walk through the front door before Jasper can feel my frustration. It's no fair to him to have to feel my shame. Edward is behind me before I can berate myself further. Taking my hand we run into the forest. I can hear Rose and Emmett not far behind us. After running for about twenty minutes I catch a wonderfully divine scent. I turn to head toward the fabulous mouthwatering aroma only to feel vice grips around each of my upper arms. Emmett has one hand around my arm while Rosalie has her hand around my other arm; Edward stands directly in front of me in a low crouch prepared to pounce if necessary. My arms hurt slightly from the pressure, I am sure if I were still human every bone would have been crushed long ago by the force being exerted on them. I growl at my captors as my instincts take over. I must hunt.

My body is smashed into the forest floor. Many hands hold me down as waves of energy overpower me. My anger is building as I see the objects of my fever come into view. Rose is struggling to hold down one of my arms and shoulder while swearing furiously in her mind. Any other time the assortment of obscenities flowing from her beautiful form would have struck my as ironic, however right now rage is all I feel for her. Emmett is holding both my ankles down obviously with quite a bit of effort. His mind is full of amusement at me struggling beneath them. Just one moment of weakness and I can kick him off of me easily. I focus on Edward hovering over me staring into my eyes.

"_They are human Bella. They're human."_ he repeats again and again in his mind obviously sensing the open connection. This thought alone breaks through my rage bringing me back to sanity. I open my mind to those around me hoping to let them see that I will no longer try to escape as I lay perfectly still ceasing my resistance. The scent is still overpowering but with their help I can get away from it without killing anyone.

"_help me please, help me get away from here. I don't want to hurt anyone. Get me away now please. I can't fight this I want it to badly."_ I concentrate on my longing to escape from the irresistible pull of my bloodlust showing my weakness to fight it on my own hoping they will feel my desperation.

Emmett's body shakes as he realizes what is happening. Pulling me tightly into his arms, holding me firmly to prevent my escaping his grasp, he dashes through the trees in the opposite direction from the overwhelming scent. Rosalie and Edward run along side of us grabbing one of my hands each firmly as Emmett lets go of me setting me back on my feet.

"_Are you alright now?"_ Edward asks. I breathe deeply through my nose trying to find the scent again, the air is pure, only the small less appealing scents of animal prey are around now.

"_I think I'm okay now, I can't smell it anymore."_ I concentrate once again on the unfamiliar feelings battling for dominance within me hoping they will be able to decipher what they mean.

"_Damn Bella that was intense! You nearly ripped our heads off trying to get past us. What's with the emotional whirlpool can't you calm that down your making me feel nauseous. I haven't felt like this since I was human. Yuck." _Emmett shares. I can feel his joy at sharing a connection with me though. Edward and Emmett both take a step back looking toward Rosalie waiting to see what she will do.

"_Oh sorry," _Rose whispers quietly, _"Wow, I was just checking this out. This is really pretty freaky."_ Rose lets go of my hand and with the lack of physical contact the connection fades. The electricity flowing through my body gently ebbs away.

"Well let's hunt" Emmett loudly declares.

Within minutes I pick up the scent of a large herd of animals not far from us. I head quickly in that direction glancing to the side to make sure it is okay to let my instincts take over now. Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward are all obviously in predator mode. I follow their lead letting go of the controlled human part of my mind, embracing my animalistic nature. Once again the colors swirl changing to bright hues of heat radiating off my prey surrounded by darker hues of the scenery rushing past. I leap grabbing two large bucks by the neck bringing one to my mouth immediately draining it of all its' life blood. Ahh heaven. I drop the emptied carcass embracing the other smelling the warm blood still flowing through its veins. I press my razor sharp teeth through its skin without killing it first. The fight of the animal as my venom flows into it is intoxicating. Releasing the drained body I wipe my mouth as I glance around enjoying the fresh blood flowing through my veins increasing my strength and sharpening my senses. My vision clears as my rational mind returns.

"Impressive. Your clothes are unscathed." Rosalie compliments me.

Looking down I realize she's right. I smile as I remember what my clothes looked like after my last hunt. Raising my hand I notice a small line of blood running from my thumb to my wrist from where I had wiped my mouth. Edward appears at my side taking my hand in his raising it to his mouth. His tongue slowly licks the stray blood off my hand sending chills of excitement up my arm radiating through my entire body.

"Mmm very nice." Edward breathes leaning down to my ear kissing my lobe gently. "Time to go home."


	8. The Innevitable Battle

AN: This is a long chapter so make yourself comfortable and enjoy. Sorry it took so long to get it up.

All characters in this story belong to the brilliant Stephenie Meyer.

The Inevitable Battle

Shortly after noon we hear the crunching of gravel as a car pulls into the long drive leading to our house. We gather on the porch eagerly awaiting the arrival of long time family friends from Alaska. Eleazar and Carmen step out of their Range Rover softly shutting the doors behind them. Carlisle and Esme stroll out towards the couple meeting them half way to the porch.

"Thanks for coming to support us. Your standing along side us means more than you could possibly know." Carlisle says as he shakes hands with Eleazar.

"It's the least we can do. My apologies for abandoning your family when last we were needed." Eleazar replies his gaze moving past Carlisle's shoulder toward the rest of us waiting on the porch.

Esme and Carmen stroll toward us after sharing a brief embrace. "So where are the girls?" Esme asks.

"They'll be coming shortly. Kate wanted to stop and pick up a small gift for your newest family member." Carmen chuckles.

A small squeak of excitement escapes Alice as her face lights up. "I gotta go, be back soon." She kisses Jasper on the cheek and grabs Rosalie's hand .

"Come on Rose, your going to love this!" Alice squeals as they run down the drive toward the garage.

Edward glances over at me with a devilish gleam in his eye. "It's going to be an interesting night."

"Edward," I growl playfully, "What are they doing?"

"It's Alice," He replies, "Do you really have to ask? They're shopping. They plan on meeting the others in Seattle for a small shopping spree."

One good thing about my incredible blood lust, I get out of this shopping trip. The only down side of my new eternal life will be the never ending inescapable shopping trips with my beloved sister. Maybe this newborn phase can last a little longer than normal; after all if they're afraid I may slaughter a mall full of tasty humans Alice can't exactly force me to go shopping.

Edward is pushing me gently forward toward Carmen. "This is Edward's beautiful bride and the newest member of our family, Bella." Esme introduces me. "Bella these are our dear friends Eleazar and Carmen. You will get to know them very well during our time in Alaska."

We file into the living room to await the return of Alice, Rosalie, Irina, Tanya, and Kate. A surge of nervousness sweeps me as I prepare myself to meet the much dreaded Tanya. I know she is not happy that Edward decided to marry his 'Human Pet' and change me into an immortal creature. I have no doubts anymore that I am the one Edward wants to spend eternity with. The question is does Tanya now realize it, and is she willing to accept it. I pay little attention to the easy banter flowing around the room and about an hour later excuse myself to escape to my and Edward's room. Placing a cd in the player I lay on the bed letting my worst fears for the days to follow have free run of my mind. Why can nothing ever be easy? As darkness fills my room I hear Rose, Alice, and the others come giggling into the house.

"Did you leave anything in the store for other customers?" Edward asks mockingly.

"HMPH," Alice replies, "You'll thank us later."

I guess I better get down there before Alice comes up to pull me down. I don't want to upset Esme by seeming rude to our guests. Deep Breath Bella, you can do this. Opening the door I walk slowly even by human standards to the stairway. Pulling my shoulders back and forcing myself to exude a composure I do not feel I start descending the stairs. Edward waits for me at the bottom with a large proud smile. Hand in hand we walk into the family room to meet Tanya, Irina, and Kate.

"This is my wife, Bella." Edward proudly announces.

Kate runs over grabbing me quickly in her arms giving me a tight hug. "I am so excited to finally meet you, Alice has told me so much about you!" I can not resist returning her bright smile.

Irina walks toward me slower but still with a friendly expression. "It's nice to meet you Bella." she speaks softly while giving me a polite hug.

I glance across the room to where Tanya stands staring at me appraisingly. She nods her head acknowledging my presence but does not speak or move to greet me in any other way. I return her appraising glare. I really do not understand why I was so worried before; Tanya is clearly not Edward's type. The skin tight black lace shirt she is wearing leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination, her mini skirt appears to have been painted onto her body rather than sewn. I shake my head slightly raising one eyebrow mockingly as I wrap my arms around Edward bringing his face down to mine ravaging his lips. His body melts into mine as we passionately kiss marking our claim on eachother. The room disappears around us leaving only Edward and I in our own universe. I hear slightly accentuated stiletto footsteps leading to the front door. Breaking my embrace with Edward I turn just in time to witness Tanya stomping out the front door in a hissy fit.

Giggling erupts from Alice and Kate. Unbelievably Esme joins into the laughter as well. "I've been waiting to see that happen. She has given Edward trouble for so many years." Esme says somewhat apologetically regaining her composure.

Rosalie walks over uncharacteristically putting her arm around me. "I could get used to this side of you Bella."

"Irina go after Tanya, make sure she doesn't do too much damage." Carmen instructs quietly. A small twinge of guilt tries to attach itself to my conscience. I fight the urge to feel remorse for my actions. From all I have heard about Tanya and the mental torture she has subjected Edward to over the last century she deserves a taste of her own medicine.

We settle in for a comfortable night of conversation. As most of the conversation is being carried by the guys Alice grabs my hand leading me out to the car. Kate follows along with Rosalie.

"Bella we decided now that you are truly one of us, an official member of our family it's time you start to dress like it." Rose states. Alice's chiming laugh fills the air as Kate gives me a mischievous look. "Oh, and while you were on your honeymoon Alice took the liberty of having Jasper burn all the clothes you left behind."

"What!" I grab Rosalie and Alice's forearms fiercely showing them exactly what I think I shall do to avenge my wardrobe. Various images of their clothing and their cars going up in flame as I dance around the bon fire flood them, I laugh at the dread filling them. I release their arms breaking our connection before they can see that I am really only joking; I could never do anything to hurt them in any way.

"But we bought you new ones." Alice says almost stuttering in her shock. "You're going to love them; don't you trust me?"

"It was all Alice's idea, I swear!" Rosalie interjects just before she notices the smile spreading across my face.

Kate is standing back watching all this happen shaking her head in slight confusion. "Don't look at me, I had nothing to do with this. I only wanted to buy you a welcome to the family gift."

"I'm only teasing, I swear. Your precious cars and clothing are safe." I laugh, "For now." I add, watching their faces fall from incredulity to concern.

God they are so easy to tease. I love this new gift of mine. Their facial expressions were sweet payback for all the times I have been held captive and forced to be a human barbie doll. It feels good to no longer be powerless. I will have to remember to thank Alice for unknowingly teaching me how to lie with such a gift. I would have never though about sending out false images had I not seen Alice do exactly that back in Italy when the Volturi were demanding I be changed or die.

"I guess you are going to want a fashion show now." I state knowing Alice would never let me get away with simply putting the clothes away.

"You guessed it." We each grab four bags and head back into the house, bypassing the family room heading straight to my and Edward's room.

I can't help but enjoy our mini fashion show. The stress of what is to come tomorrow has been building since our return to Forks. It has simmered under the surface repressed for moments at a time, but a constant companion. For a few splendid hours I am able to simply enjoy the company of my sisters and new friend as we joke about what Edward's reaction to my new attire will be. My days of wearing sweats and holy T-shirts to bed are gone for good.

A prism of light is cast through out the room as the sun shines briefly cutting through thick clouds. I laugh watching all four of us sparkle like diamonds. The negligee I am wearing casts an interesting contrast to my shining skin. A delicious idea causes me to smile as I slip one of my new outfits over the negligee.

Alice begins clapping as she beams at me. "Bella, you are devious."

"Excuse me ladies but I need to go hunting." I state cryptically as I walk out the door to find Edward.

Edward is still sitting in the same place he was when we headed upstairs last night. "I'm really getting thirsty." I whisper in his ear nibbling the lobe before pulling back.

"Bella and I are going hunting." Edward announces hurriedly standing quickly and following me out the door.

"Let's go." I whisper in a sultry voice as I grab his hand.

I dash through the forest dragging him behind me holding onto his hand tightly. Within moments I slow to a walking pace. Convinced we are far enough away from the house for privacy I turn to face Edward. Dragging my nails down his chest gently I lean forward running the tip of my tongue along the edge of his ear. "I'm a little hot, maybe you could help me out of this sweater." I purr.

Edward's eyes glaze over as he runs his hand beneath my shirt. "Lace?" He hums in my ear as he trails kisses down my neck into the collar of my sweater. Breaking contact with my skin only briefly as he pulls the sweater over my head. A low groan radiates from his chest as his eyes linger on my sunlit body. Grinning with excitement I run my hands along his abs under his shirt lifting it gently finally pulling it up over his head throwing it aside. Leaning in I gently place a row of kisses from his sternum up his neck ending just below his ear. A low hiss escapes him as I lightly bite his neck in the same spot he had bit me. I love how he reacts to this little reminder. His caresses quickly cause my mind to blur. His sensual kisses over every inch of my electrified skin brings me to the brink of insanity.

An offending smell wafts through the air causing us to halt in our exploration of eachother. I crinkle my nose as I try to place the smell, there is a hint of something familiar but hidden under an awful stench.

"The pack are heading this way. We need to get back to the house." Edward states angrily as he grabs my hand. We quickly put our shirts back on and race through the woods toward home to warn our family and friends.

Approaching the house I force myself to slow to a human pace as we walk in the back door. Laughter is ringing from the family room and living room. "It's time to meet with the pack, we smelled them coming while we were out hunting." Edward's voice breaks a little on hunting but no one notices. In less than a second we are surrounded by our family members all wearing slightly anxious expressions.

The sound of paws racing toward the house can be heard easily now. Without speaking we move toward the front door as a group. Filing out one by one we gather in the field surrounding the house. I grab Edward's hand as the first of the wolves steps through the trees. He briefly pauses sniffing the air; a low growl rips from his throat as he turns around and moves back into the trees. Sam reappears in his human form flanked on both sides by seven other werewolves. Jacob is on his immediate right his fur brisling, his snarling lips creating a low menacing growl.

"I see the treaty has clearly been broken." Sam accuses. "We will not let this go unpunished."

"Sam it's my life. It was my choice, if you have a problem with that your problem should lie with me not them." I speak up making my voice sound more courageous than I feel.

"It was your life, it may have been your choice, but them moment you were bitten your life was taken. Our issue is not with you, in fact it is not with most of those standing with you." He answers.

"What are you proposing?" Carlisle asks stepping to the front of our group.

"We want the one who bit her." He declares forcefully.

"No!" I scream grabbing Edward's arm as he tries to step forward.

Bending down to kiss my brow he whispers, "It will be okay Bella, they are not going to massacre me." A small smile plays at his lips. "Jacob wants the pleasure all to himself."

"You knew of our plans before we left this town. Why was there no resistance before? Your silence on the matter of Bella becoming one of us was taken as permission." Carlisle questions calmly.

"Permission was never granted. We would never stand by and allow such a crime to happen." Sam growls.

"It's okay Carlisle, I will stand for what I have done; I have no regrets for my actions." Edward hisses as he shoots a pointed smile in Jake's direction.

Rosalie, Alice, and Esme grab tightly onto my arms as I run to follow Edward into the middle of the field. If he is to face death for my choices I will stand beside him as he does. Their grip is too tight, their combined strength is more than I can fight. Rage and fear engulf me as I watch Jacob's fur bristle making him look even larger than normal. His sharp glistening teeth visible through his vicious snarl. The other wolves are forming a semi circle around their side of the field, following their lead Carlisle moves his hands slightly letting our friends and Emmett and Jasper know to do the same. Emmett is nearly shaking with pent up excitement for the battle.

I reach out for Edward. My family may not let me stand with him physically but they can not stop me from joining with him mentally. I will be with him in this. The threads of connection are forming rapidly between Edward and I; I can feel his calm reassurance that there is nothing to fear.

"_Bella, I know you want to be with me in this but I really can not share this with you. I can feel your fear as well as your anger and they are both very distracting. I need to be able to focus only on myself or I may be hurt. Jacob can not win in a one on one battle between us, and no one is going to let another wolf come to his aid. I heard Sam give the pack the order not to cross their line unless one of you join the battle. I need you to make sure no one steps in no matter how bad things may look. I need you to trust me. If anyone comes to fight with me there will be a war. I love you Bella, I will not lose."_

Reluctantly I pull away from Edward feeling each invisible band of connection breaking. It takes all my strength to let go of him, to let him fight on his own. My body strains forward fighting against losing this precious hold with him, and I feel three sets of hands tighten in response. Using their touch as a guide for what I must do I focus on my family and friends. I need to help hold them steady. I must not let them interfere. Trusting Edward in this is the hardest thing he has asked me to do, much harder than giving up my humanity for him. He is asking me to risk losing him, to trust him with his own life is much harder than trusting him with mine. I stand to lose so much more. The bands of connectivity are forming slowly but firmly between Esme, Rose, Alice and I; their hands relax on my arms as they see what I must do. Their fear of me running to Edward's side is extinguished as they realize the job Edward has set for me. Seeing that I need their help they each move to stand beside their mate, grabbing their arms gently. Struggling to use my connection with them I reach even further. I stretch my strength to its limits as I try to enfold Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle into my control.

"_Bella, really control?" _ Rose admonishes._ "I don't think what you are doing would be defined correctly as control. We could still go against your wishes, but I think with all of us being able to feel and hear what the others are thinking we will be able to better withstand the temptation to help him. I think your getting a little carried away with yourself."_

"_What's wrong Rose, you don't like the idea of someone else making choices for you. Now you know how Emmett feels!" _with that Alice's laughter floods through all of us even making Rose smile at herself.

"_Alright girls I love you and all but I really need to concentrate right now so could you please be quiet! I'm still not used to having other people in my head, and it makes it hard to think." _I tease lightly but they can feel the truth in what I say.

Carlisle's, Emmett's and Jasper's thoughts join ours as I effectively draw them toward us. I explain what Edward has asked me to do and they agree with him completely.

"_I had a feeling this might be the option the wolves would choose for their retribution. They can not face a battle of even odds and come out victorious, but Jake is one of their best fighters. Edward will not underestimate him; it will be a hard battle but he will prevail in the end. He will be okay Bella." _Carlisle reassures me.

"_I've worked with Edward on battle strategies and fighting skills for years Bella, we always knew our lifestyle put us at risk for attack from others. We thought the conflict would come from other vampires though, we never though of the pack threatening us."_ Jasper thought. _"Edward is a very good fighter he will do fine. He killed Victoria he will have no problem with Jake."_

I realize I have made a choice I never knew I was making. I had chosen Edward's life over Jake's. Only one would be walking away alive from this battle. I love both Edward and Jake in different ways. Jake is the brother I never had but always wished I did, and Edward is my life. Losing Jake is going to be hard, but I can not live without Edward. It is a choice I made when I chose to become a vampire. I should have known Jake would never let it go, that he would chase until he had his revenge or died trying. Regret fills me knowing I have caused this. I push aside these thoughts for now, I still have work to do. I need to reach the others, if they step into the battle we will all be fighting.

Exhaustion weighs heavily on me as I push myself to reach beyond the wall of fatigue. My bonds with Eleazar's family is tenuous at best and I can not make the tendrils of connection form into the solid bands I hold around my family, there are simply to many people to hold onto at one time. Looking carefully into the thoughts of each of my family I choose to release Carlisle and Esme. I know they will force themselves to not attempt to aid Edward even in the most dire of need. As soon as they are outside of my grasp I feet the bonds with the others solidify. Content that no one will step into the fray I force myself to attend to what is happening between Edward and Jake.

**EPOV**

Surrounded on one side by my family and friends, and on the other by an angry pack of wolves that would like nothing better than to tear us all into shreds and rid the planet of what they consider to be our threat, I knew I could not fail. I had to kill and I had to kill quickly before any of my family could try to help me. If any of them get hurt it will be my fault.

Jacob circles around me, trying his best to intimidate me. I hold back a smirk concentrating on his thoughts. Each plan of attack becoming known to me as he forms it. I simply move slightly to avoid his lunges. Stepping to the right a blur of brown fur flies past me on my left. His teeth merely centimeters from my arm. I turn to face him again sneering at his feeble attempt.

"_Stupid blood sucking leach you thought you could kill her and get away with it. I am going to enjoy every bite. I am going to make a pile of your bones and laugh as I throw the match and watch them burn. I should have killed you when I first found out about what you were planning to do." _

Jacob lunges again, going directly for my neck. Instead of moving to avoid him this time I lift my hand in front of me bracing for the impact. His heavy chest slams into my outstretched arm. I close my fingers hearing multiple crunching sounds as several of his ribs are pulverized in my grasp. Letting his momentum carry my movements and adding only a little strength behind the throw I launch him into three thick aspen pine trees at the far end of the field. I run to meet him before he can stand again. Reaching down I grab him by the scruff and pull him to his feet. Stepping back a few feet I wait for him to attack again. Blood trickles from the left side of his muzzle and his breathing is ragged.

"_I will dance tonight around your ashes, your kind are a plague."_ he growls lunging again, this time toward my legs, his mouth open to bite. I quickly pull my leg to the side kicking into his torso as he flies past. Landing on his feet he circles to face me. Without thought he charges again, I move to my right to prepare another kick. His direction changes at the last second catching me in the chest with his full force. We soar backwards into the trees my back smashing two smaller pines before landing on the ground with Jacob on top of me. A sharp burning spreads through my shoulder as Jacob bounds away into the field again. Looking down I see a small place of missing flesh where his massive jaws collided with my shoulder.

"_Hurts doesn't it leach. That is only the beginning."_ Pictures of him attacking Emmett and Jasper stab at me causing more pain than any bite he could ever give.

I run from the cover of trees directly at him. He jumps to the left to avoid my attack and I sweep out my arm hitting him across the neck. His body summersaults across the field back toward his pack. Not waiting for him to stand I race to him lifting him above my head crushing the bones of his fore and hind leg in several places as I throw him against an outcropping of rock. He battles to stand on his two good legs snarling as I approach.

"_Your family will all die, they will be hunted to the ends of the earth. My pack will tear them limb from limb and celebrate the bon fire. You know why we have bon fires right?" _Images of Alice screaming out in pain fill my mind, Jake growls as he changes the picture in Alice's place is Bella. A grey wolf lunges at her repeatedly attacking viciously again and again. Bella can not hold him off and is quickly losing the battle.

An uncontrollable rage fills me. I charge Jake grabbing his neck as I run past. His body dangling from my grasp as I tighten my fingers around his airway. _"You are all monsters, even her, you will all die."_ his thoughts fade away as his brain is deprived of oxygen. Ripping my hand away the smell of blood fills the air as Jacob's corpse falls to the ground. I open my dripping hand and release the wad of flesh and bone I am holding.

A loud howling rips through the silence in the field. Carlisle takes two steps toward Sam.

"We are leaving tonight." Carlisle states. "We will not come back, the treaty is broken."

"You have till midnight. We will kill any vampire within a hundred miles of our reservation. There will be no more treaties." Sam commanded phasing as he turns away from Carlisle.

I walk in the direction of my family filled with remorse that my family can never return to this area, also saddened that I have killed Bella's closest friend. A man who I owed for putting her back together after I had left her utterly broken. A scene from Bella's favorite book plays in my head. "They fight, Paris falls." I collapse to the ground in dry sobs.

Bella is the first to reach me, her arms wrap around me protectively as she rocks me back and forth. "It's over now, it's okay now, I've got you." she chants soothingly into my hair. Jasper and Emmett join us pulling me up and leading me away.

Returning to the house is a somber affair as we will never again call it home. Emmett and Jasper lead me to my and Bella's room.

"_You did great out there Edward. Don't worry Bella's not mad at you, she made her choice man. You need to get cleaned up we have to leave tonight." _Emmett tells me.

I stumble to the bathroom and into the shower, washing Jacob's blood off of my body. A burning sensation throbs through my shoulder. I look at the wound Jacob inflicted, it is roughly two inches wide by about three inches long. If I were human I would say it was merely a scratch. No real damage was done just a thick layer of skin removed, but a layer of skin that will never be replaced. How appropriate that I will carry this reminder of him for the rest of my existence. A reminder of the only person who could ease the pain I had inflicted on Bella. He had tended her wounds until I returned; he could not help falling in love with her, and for that I had killed him. Of course he could not let her go, let her choose me, instead he had chosen his own death. I understood him completely, for I would rather choose death than life without her by my side.

My thoughts were interrupted by the most beautiful sound in the world, Bella's voice. "Edward, I've packed all our things. We need to get going. I'll meet you in the car."

I quickly dried off and dressed going downstairs to join my family. We paired up and drove away each in our own cars. Glancing behind me I said goodbye to the town that has given me everything, a reason for living. Reaching over I grab Bella's hand gently lifting it to my lips. "Are you ready for this?"

"I've said my goodbyes. This is my past Edward. You are my future, and yes I am very ready."

AN: Yes my dears that is the end. As the story books always say:

And they lived happy ever after.


End file.
